Requiem of the Night
by leafyaki
Summary: Welcome to Arkham, home to creatures of the night. If you are human, you flee, or stay and survive. You may, however, find what you seek should you choose to stay… Allen/Lavi. Written for Laven Week 2012.
1. Chapter One

**Title**: Requiem of the Night  
**Summary**: Welcome to Arkham, home to creatures of the night. If you are human, you flee, or stay and survive. You may, however, find what you seek should you choose to stay…  
**Prompt**: Network  
**Warnings**: Unbeta-ed. Blood and violence for the whole story.  
**Notes**: Imagine my surprise when I saw that Allen/Lavi week is on this year! I'm late to the party, and will not be on time with the prompts, but I hope you will enjoy this story. It's a fantasy tale I've wanted to write about for a while. Cliches ahoy!  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own D. Gray-man or its characters.

* * *

_A long time ago, there were two men and a boy. The two men were brothers, and the boy was the adopted son of the elder brother. They loved performing and travelling wherever they could, and laughter followed their days…_

.

"This is impossible."

Allen sighed and lowered the map, his eyes pleading for some road sign or helpful personage in a city too busy to care. He had made sure to board the correct train, had double checked the timing and the number and the destination. He was sure he was in the correct city. But the road to Arkham was nowhere to be found.

Asking the police had proven to be useless. They had taken a long look at the map before exchanging wary looks with each other. Then, cautious as though Allen had just checked out from a mental asylum, they had explained that there was no such road, though he was indeed in Lightfellow City.

_So much for local knowledge. Do people know where their taxes even go to?_ Allen had thought with a friendly smile on his face.

But to his increasing horror, none of the people he had asked knew of Arkham either. One little girl had even asked him if it was his imaginary place, like how she had an imaginary friend. Nobody, not the convenience store workers, nor the businessmen, nor the school teachers. Nobody seemed to have heard of Arkham.

"But how could this be?" Allen muttered to himself as he slipped into an alley, the setting sun casting a long shadow into the dark road. From there he could still see the north wall, but there was no path beyond it, only the sea. He checked the second piece of paper he held in his hand, with the heading 'BAR KEEPER NEEDED' written on it. The terms were generous and he would be offered lodging, a tempting offer considering he had no place to call home. He had even called to book an appointment before travelling to the city.

In the end, did he travel to the wrong city? Was the map from the job offer website incorrect? Was it – he swallowed hard – a prank? The papers in his hands were getting increasingly crumpled in his anxious grip. Perhaps he just had to circle around the city from the outside…he knew about his tendency to get lost…Lightfellow was a good enough city to stay the night if he had to…

"You look troubled, sir," a voice said from within the alley. It was only from years of practicing his poker face that Allen did not jump. He turned to look, trying to make out something in the dying light. The voice did not sound hostile – but debt collectors never sounded hostile either, at first. He tensed, preparing to run.

He first saw a foot, clad in black heels, stepping into the sunset light. As his eyes travelled up the leg he realized it was a young lady, holding a grocery bag in both hands, who had spoken to him. Her dark eyes were friendly. The air around her was, Allen decided after a moment's scrutiny, non-threatening. He relaxed minutely.

"Oh, uh, I was just a little lost. I'm new to the city," Allen said with a quick bow of his head.

The girl smiled. "It is easy to get lost about these parts. Where are you headed?"

Allen winced internally, preparing himself to get another confused look or, at worst, disdain. There wouldn't be any harm in asking this lady – at least she was friendly. "Arkham. I've heard that it is Lightfellow City's neighbouring town, but I could not find the road that leads there."

The girl's eyes widened. Then her smile widened. She stepped closer to him with a calculating look which made Allen wary. It made him feel like a specimen on display. "As it turns out, I can bring you there," she offered, the first positive reply he had heard in the whole day.

His first emotion was relief. Arriving in the mid-day sun and searching for half the day without results had taken a toll. But then his instincts kicked in and he just looked at her for a while, keeping his poker face on.

What would a young lady be doing in an alley?

How could it be that she, out of everybody in Lightfellow, knew about Arkham?

Could he…trust her? No, not trust her. Just rely on her until he gets there?

As though she had read his doubts, she said, gently, "I know you have questions, especially since you're a newcomer. But for you to know about Arkham means…something. I cannot harm you, and if you wish you can choose to return after you've seen the road. You will know how to find it, once I show it to you."

Allen smiled, uncertain. The girl seemed sincere enough, and if it is true that he might choose to return…

"Far be it from me to refuse kind help, Miss," he said, clutching his suitcase tighter.

"Excellent. Please, follow me." So saying, she swept past him, leaving Allen to keep pace with her as she led the way through the market crowd.

Among the people she was a striking figure in her ankle-length black dress and black hair. There was too much noise and bustle about them to talk easily, though Allen had too many questions. But when she spoke her voice was as clear as a bell, cutting through the crowd's bustle.

"I'm Lenalee. May I know your name?"

"I'm Allen, Miss Lenalee."

"Allen," she said slowly, her dark eyes gazing far out. "And why are you travelling to Arkham?"

"There was an advertisement for a job. As a bar keeper," Allen clarified.

"And you decided to go all the way to Arkham to work? It isn't exactly accessible," she asked with curiosity, side-stepping a plump mother and her two kids efficiently.

_Understatement of the century,_ Allen thought as they ducked under a stall's banner. She had a fair point. "I've been – well, I don't exactly have a home, _per se_. And this job has generous terms. There didn't seem harm in trying."

Lenalee laughed. Allen wasn't quite sure what was funny about what he had said. Her laughter didn't sound malicious, though. Only amused, as if she were laughing at an inside joke.

"I'm sorry. Not many people make their way to Arkham. It isn't known as a safe place, not exactly. Oh, it's not horribly dangerous," she said with a quick glance at him, "it's just a bit different. Most people cannot get used to Arkham. There are all sorts of beings there."

"Now you're making me scared," Allen attempted to joke.

Lenalee grinned. "You may not know it, but Arkham has already welcomed you."

The bustle of the crowd was gone, Allen realized. When he looked up from Lenalee's eyes they were on a small path that he had not previously seen. It was leading from Lightfellow City's north wall, and he could have sworn he had circled the area ten times just looking for the path, and now here it was?

"The path opens at night," Lenalee said, gazing up at the evening stars that had started to appear and the moon that was starting to rise from beyond the trees. Behind them the restaurants and cafes were busy with customers. All of them rushed by as though there was no world beyond the wall. "If you choose to return now, you may. If you ever want to find Arkham again, you just have to wait till the sun sets, and the path will always be here from Lightfellow's north wall."

She looked at him, her eyes revealing nothing. She still had a smile on, and her grip was tight on her grocery bag. Allen looked behind once more, at the bustling city that swept its eyes over them and the small path without seeing.

There was something tight in his chest. There was something very mysterious about all this, Arkham and Lenalee and the job offer. He was about to falter, and fall back into the safety of Lightfellow, before something he remembered from long ago rang in his head.

_Keep on walking. Never stop._

"I would like to know – "

"You would like to know why, and how," Lenalee said with a nod. "I cannot explain all, and you may not believe me anyway."

"I might not," he agreed. "But I would like to hear."

Lenalee laughed again. "Most people would have freaked out by now. You are so calm, Allen."

"Yes, all these, paths appearing at night, nobody knowing Arkham but a young lady who I met by chance in an alley, it all sounds a little – " Allen shrugged and grinned. He was not as spooked as he thought he might have been, after calming down and remembering his well-loved phrase. Perhaps it was also all these years of travelling and seeing everything he thought he possibly could. Still, this was by far the strangest, and he hadn't even stepped into the city yet.

"A little," she agreed. She sat down on a patch of grass and waved her hand, inviting Allen to sit with their backs facing Lightfellow. The grass was dry in the late summer air. Once seated Lenalee stared at the trees while speaking. "To put it simply, Arkham is a city of the night. The people there are not all – " she paused, taking a while to choose her words – "human."

"So they're dead? Are you taking me to a graveyard, Miss Lenalee?" Allen asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No, it's not nearly so normal. You have heard of other creatures?"

"Animals?" Allen suggested, a strange sort of anticipation bubbling in him.

"Now you're just being deliberately obtuse. Creatures – wolves, yes, but werewolves?"

Allen breathed out. He did not dare to believe. It had been something he had treasured as a child, those tales with Mana and Nea…in a hushed voice – though there was nobody eavesdropping – he asked, "They're real?"

"Certainly. They're not all in Arkham – some are spread through the world – but there is a large population of them there. Mutants, hybrids, vampires, ghosts – they are all real, Allen. And no, I'm not under drugs, nor are you, or we're both insane together," she said with a smile.

"But nobody has ever reported seeing them, if they're spread through the world," Allen pointed out, rationality kicking in.

"Yes. No _reports_. There are ways to cover up sightings. And we hide ourselves well," Lenalee added, as though it had only occurred to her.

"So if somebody saw a werewolf – "

"They might have dismissed him as a very large wolf. Several species are capable of hypnosis, or erasure. And some are just hard to find, like the ghosts. Arkham's citizens are capable of many things, and more than anything we need to protect ourselves," she admitted. "The world isn't very forgiving. We all know of witch burnings."

"They've always been around, then?" Allen wondered if he had bumped into a ghoul or vampire without knowing it.

"For a long while," Lenalee agreed. She looked up at the moon and frowned. "I don't want to rush you, but I'd rather we travel once the moon is up. It only gets darker from here," she said, looking apologetic.

Allen felt the wind whistle through his hair as he thought. It all seemed too unimaginable, and he knew, as he had known all these years in his travels, that the only way was…

_Forward._ "I have to see this for myself," he breathed out.

Relief made Lenalee's shoulders relax. "You will understand more, once you're there," she promised. She got to her feet, her bag cradled in both hands. "You'll be under no harm. Visitors have Protection," she said. "And I'll help you too."

It was more than Allen could have hoped for. "Thank you," he said, before they started down the path that wound through the trees.

As they walked the trees grew dense, until the path could not be easily seen and the starlight and moonlight were blocked out. The sounds of the woods died down too, until it seemed there was no being alive except for him and Lenalee. She was humming as they walked, a halo of certainty in the unfamiliar terrain. Allen did not dare to disturb her.

Then the trees were not as dense. They grew sparser, though slowly, at the same pace at which they became denser when Allen and Lenalee had started their walk. When they emerged into open space they could see the huge gates of wrought iron and clinging ivy before them. The moon was rising from behind the woods they had just emerged from, adding light to their path. There was light too, in Arkham, and a strange sort of bustle.

"Welcome to Arkham," Lenalee said, her voice cheerful. "It doesn't look cheery, but it's home."

Allen couldn't quite speak. Images were rushing into his mind and he shook his head to clear it. Discordant images like a ghoul in a well, a harpy and a goblin engaging in a Nightlock tournament…he cleared his head, and when he opened his eyes it was only the open gates before him and Lenalee waiting with patience. The images had felt real, but he could have sworn he had never seen them before. Perhaps an overactive imagination, he decided.

At his nod they walked into town. Upon his first step into town Allen felt something envelop him, sending a shiver through his body, before the sensation lifted and he could step forth without resistance.

"You've just received Protection," Lenalee explained. It was still relatively quiet near the gate. "Protection from the Night Gods the residents here believe in."

"Protection…against?"

"Many things," Lenalee said in a vague, evasive way.

She led them through the main street. With the flame lamps and the starlight it wasn't hard to see by. The houses were disarmingly normal, with a mixture of apartments and one-storey houses. As Allen looked around he could see signs of life –

Signs of a very different sort of life.

Lenalee, as far as he could tell, had human features – he decided he would ask later if she was human or just looked human. He knew he had seen a child looking at him from a window. And when he had looked back the child ducked, but not before he saw the horns on the child's head. The child was only the beginning of many. Two ladies with bat wings and lizard tails swept past them, laughing with their heads bent close together. A short man with a beard as long as his body had been sweeping his front porch and staring at them with heavy suspicion. He was sure he had seen a three-headed puppy feasting on some mutant…rabbit…thing.

"You're very quiet," Lenalee said.

"Just…observing," Allen said faintly, still wondering if he was in a dream. The strap of his suitcase digging into his hand felt real enough.

Lenalee hummed and accepted the explanation. "The bar you're looking for – there's only one bar, _Luna_ – it's in the center of the city. We might have to take a warg…"

Surely she had meant a bus? Allen held his tongue while Lenalee looked around. Her eyes lit up at something ahead of them. A big something.

At a twisted lamppost a large animal was lying down. It seemed a hybrid of a wolf – an enormous wolf – and a bear. Lenalee walked over and pulled the rope hanging on the post. The green flame on the lamppost flared huge and bright and let out a deep growl.

The animal – he must be the warg Lenalee had spoken of – blinked open his eyes and turned his head to look at Lenalee.

"To _Luna_, please," she said. Her hand grabbed Allen's arm to pull him closer. The warg looked at Allen, eyes scanning his figure.

"He's new," the warg said in a deep voice.

Allen had just seen enough strange things that a warg speaking did not surprise him. Too much.

"Yes. But he knew about Arkham," Lenalee said.

Allen would have cut in to say he did not so much "know" as "stumbled across", but the warg blinked twice, then nodded. Lenalee grabbed hold of his fur and hopped onto his back. Seeing no other option, Allen sighed and hauled himself up as well, trying not to swing his suitcase too much. Even if pulling his fur did not hurt, maybe poking him with something sharp might.

The warg stood up, alert, eyes scanning the street. Before Allen could ask Lenalee anything else the warg sped off and the world was a blur.

.

It might surprise some, but it wasn't too difficult to move around in Arkham as a blind man. The sounds each creature made were rather distinct, for one. And a device a scientist had invented could describe or read out the details of the items he touched, as long as he had the device switched on. As he touched Allen's file he could hear the device in his ear saying, "ALLEN WALKER. AGE: UNKNOWN. ORIGINS: UNKNOWN – "

He removed his hand and the voice buzzed down.

Noise Marie didn't know much about the boy except that he had been brought to Arkham by Lenalee Lee, which meant he had already received a badge of approval even if he hadn't known it then. Then the boy had introduced himself as Allen Walker, the very same person who had called about the job offer, and Marie had given him a double badge of approval. There were few who knew about or had the power to even contact Arkham. It meant the boy had connections, or some innate ability.

He was a good bar keeper, Marie knew at least that much from the past three weeks. He could tell by the sound of him mixing up the various concoctions. Nobody could work a shaker like he did unless they had some experience. Krory added that Allen knew how to perform, that he could toss the bottles and shakers around and catch them neatly. And he easily won over customers as well, if not with his skill at mixing their drinks, then with his conversation charm. He'd heard that sirens swooned over him and considered using their voices, but didn't because he was still under the Protection of the Night Gods, and because Lenalee would likely kill them all if they did –

The sound of footsteps on the stairs made him lift his head. He counted silently until there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said.

The door creaked open. "Hello, Marie," Allen greeted. Marie could hear the smile in his voice.

"Allen, hello. You're early today," he said by way of question.

"Thought I would clean the bar up a bit more. There's still the smell of puke," Allen said with a grimace clear in his tone.

Marie laughed. That was another thing he liked about Allen. He took his job seriously. It was true that the puke smell was getting to Marie as well.

"Go ahead, then. I will settle some accounts here and join you later."

"See you later," Allen said brightly before he closed the door behind him.

Marie waited until his footsteps faded away before sweeping his hand over Allen's file again.

"ALLEN WALKER. AGE: UNKNOWN. ORIGINS: UNKNOWN. RELATIVES: UNKNOWN – "

He didn't know why Allen had chosen to come to Arkham. And perhaps it wasn't his place to pry. But, Marie thought grimly, the Protection wouldn't last much longer. Then Allen would be on his own to brave Arkham, like so many of the other humans here. Like how Marie had chosen and had paid the price for it.

.

It never truly gets bright here, Allen thought as he looked out the window. The gray sky darkening into dark blue ink made him think of sunset and, for a moment, the world he had chosen to leave. He shook his head to clear the thoughts and continued wiping down the bar, making the black marble shine. Marie was already in the office doing their accounts, and Krory should be arriving once night has settled.

The bell tinkling made him look up. Krory should be entering by the back door. He straightened up and called, "I'm sorry, we're not open yet – "

"Alllllllleeeeeeen!"

Allen sighed at the whine and a smile came unbidden. "Lavi," he said as the man slammed the door closed behind him and gave a winning smile. Allen wasn't fooled. "Who is it?"

"Who what?" Lavi said with an aura of innocence.

"Who is the poor soul you tricked, tripped, lied to, tried to hit on, or maimed…this time?"

"That's cruel!" Lavi peeked out the window and sighed in relief. When he looked back Allen had an eyebrow raised. "It wasn't anything, I swear. Just told some harpy that I could straighten out her ruffled feathers for her – it really was ruffled!" He added in defense when Allen snorted.

"And I thought human pick-up lines were bad," Allen said, folding the cloth up and placing it in the bucket under the sink. Lavi huffed and bounded across the room. When Allen looked up Lavi was already seated in front of him with an expectant look. "What?"

"How's my favourite bar keeper doing today?" Lavi asked with a bright grin.

"Better before you came in," Allen said. He had always loved seeing Lavi pretend that his heart had been stabbed. Lavi didn't fail him today.

"Ouch. That would have hurt if my heart was still beating."

"Lucky for you it isn't, then." Allen took out the glass Lavi liked, a medium-sized one with red swirls of flame. Lavi's eye lit up at the sight of it. "It's today, isn't it? Which type? We just got fresh stock yesterday."

"Ooooh, I don't know…" Lavi hummed and hawed while Allen unlocked a cabinet. He twirled his glass on the marble. "I'm thinking O."

"O it is then," Allen agreed. He took out the specially crafted bottle, which had inner lining that normal wine bottles didn't have. The red seemed dull from the outside, but when he carefully poured it out into Lavi's glass the liquid shone in the light of the fire lamp.

"Ta." Lavi reached over and ruffled Allen's hair. Allen wrinkled his nose.

Lenalee was the first friend he had made in Arkham, but Lavi was a close second. Allen wondered about the siren girl – she did say she was busy since her brother needed her help. Having Lavi around was enough company for three or four though. His personality was as vibrant as his hair – at least, the personality he had chosen to show to the world. He turned to keep the bottle and smiled when Lavi let out a satisfied sigh, much like old men did after a draft of beer.

"Thank goodness for _Luna_. Can you imagine what us poor, feed-less vampires will have to do otherwise?" Lavi said. He had already downed half the blood in his glass.

"Starve?" Allen suggested.

"Oh, we're not as innocent as you think we are, Allen darling," Lavi said, eye dark and smile wide. Allen didn't much like that expression. It made him shiver. "Well, those that don't abide by the law, that is. Some of us do treasure our human friends."

"You've told me about this before," Allen said, curiosity rearing its head again. "But you didn't explain."

"You were too new at the time," Lavi said, waving his hand flippantly. "Didn't want to scare you off, did I?"

Allen snorted. "Just having you around might have scared me off already."

"And here you are, nearly a month in Arkham!" Lavi beamed. "Marie must be paying you damn well. Oh, wait. There's me, of course. No one can resist this fine specimen of vampire-kind."

"Of course. The burning desire cannot be contained. Who can resist unwashed hair after all?" Allen deadpanned.

"Lies!" Lavi exclaimed, one hand flying up to pat his hair down. "I've just washed it this morning. With this new lemon shampoo a gnome sold me. It doesn't smell gnome-y, does it?"

It actually smelled quite nice, but Allen wasn't about to tell him that. He snapped his fingers. "Stop trying to change the subject. Krory tried to explain, but you know how he is, still pining. Eliade is actually quite charmed, if you ask me. In any case," he fixed Lavi with his best stern look, "pay up."

"Not exactly payment if you're the only one benefitting, is it?" Lavi said with an amused glint in his eye. Allen glared until Lavi held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, anything for my favourite bar keeper. Do we have time?"

Allen glanced out the window. The gray had almost disappeared. By his calculation they have about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes before Marie would open shop. "Enough time."

Lavi sighed and took another sip. His eye and voice were grim when he spoke. "You know of the Noahs. Well, they don't just want a feed relationship with humans, to put it simply."

Most vampires were looking for feeds, Allen knew. It wasn't easy, since the human had to be willing to give up mortality, and there was blood compatibility and all the science stuff behind it. But it wasn't impossible. There were quite a lot of vampires in Arkham who had found a feed, and he knew Krory was close to winning Eliade over. If the Noahs weren't looking for feed relationships –

"They're looking to kill?" Allen murmured. "But the law – "

"The law is not as strong as the instinct to feed. They can come to _Luna_, but they don't like old blood. To be fair, not many vampires do. But they know they can't just kill. Or create endlessly. They'll run out eventually," Lavi explained with the analytical tone of a professor. He flicked his gaze from the glass to Allen.

"Then what are they looking for?" Allen managed to ask.

Lavi tapped his finger on the glass. There was a glint in his eye from the flickering flame lamp. "Dominance. Puppetry. Mind control. Whatever you want to call it. To be the master of humans. And the Noahs are strong. They have skills vampires take centuries to master. Mind control is not out of the question," Lavi smirked without amusement. "You can imagine that the humans won't be very happy about this."

Allen shook his head. "The hunters? Do they know?"

"They might. Or they suspect, at least. Leverrier is a hard-ass though. Any vampire that doesn't have a feed is on his list," Lavi said coolly. "I think they're trying to reduce the number of vampires."

Lavi stopped talking then and drained his glass. The moment of silence gave Allen time to sort his thoughts. "You? You're their target, too?"

Lavi smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "I don't have a feed, Allen. Unless you haven't noticed, I've been in _Luna_ every week."

"Of course I've noticed!" Allen snapped, fingers tight on the marble edge. "But you didn't – you've never – "

Lavi's eye softened and he said, almost gently, "They won't target me first. I'm an information broker, remember? They still need me."

"And what if they don't? What if they decide that they just need to destroy all the vampires, even the ones with feeds? And Central is just sitting around, doing nothing?" The blunt press of marble into his palms was starting to hurt.

Lavi stood up. For a moment Allen feared he was just going to leave, after dropping this bomb of information on him, when he felt a cool hand under his chin, tilting his head up. When their eyes met Allen only became angrier at the emotionless glaze of Lavi's eye. He scowled.

Lavi dropped his hand and attempted a grin. It was a weak one, but Allen preferred it to his too-wide smiles. "Hey…it's all still conjecture, at this point. The hunters and the Noahs haven't made any moves yet. I'm more worried about you, actually."

"Me?" Allen asked, surprise deflating his anger. "Why?"

"Your Protection is running out. You arrived on a full moon, didn't you? At the next moon the Night Gods cannot protect you anymore. Can you manage here? Blood isn't the only desirable thing humans have," Lavi warned. He looked genuinely worried.

Lenalee had explained what she knew. Visitors always had Protection, so none of the night creatures could harm him. But it lasted only a month, at the end of which he should either leave or survive his own way in Arkham. She had urged him to think of his Alliance. With the unspoken premise that he needed to be of value for the partnership to work.

"You could ally with the humans…" Lavi said slowly.

There weren't many groups of humans. The hunters were one such group, and Allen didn't quite like the idea of joining this vigilante force when their rules were so…unyielding. He could join the skilled labourers, but they valued survival skills, and he was pretty sure bar keeping wasn't a skill they would want. Technically, he was of help to Marie, but Marie himself was allied with the skilled labourers, so he would have to go straight to their boss. An Alliance, Lenalee had emphasized, with one of the night creatures was safest. Each species had their strengths and wouldn't risk conflict by attacking a human allied with one of them.

"I don't know," Allen shook his head. He pulled up a small smile. "If I really cannot safeguard my life…I will leave."

Lavi looked at him with a sharp gaze. Allen kept his smile firmly on.

"That so?" Lavi finally said, a bit too cheerfully. "That might be best…but think about it a little more, yeah?"

It wasn't obvious, but since Allen had cheated his way through life, he had learnt to read other people with more skill than the average being. And he thought – _surely it wasn't his imagination?_ – that there was a slight plea in Lavi's question.

"I will," he said with a hope he didn't quite feel. He had to find his Alliance fast. He still needed to stay in this city. He had to.

"Good," Lavi said. He scratched his chin. "Well…that's my payment, then. Satisfied? Or – " he fluttered his eyelashes – "should I pay with a kiss, my darling?"

Allen pushed Lavi's face away. "You're lucky you were even allowed in. Now scram. I still have a bar to keep."

Lavi sniffed. "I'll have you know harpies and sirens fall over themselves for my kiss."

"Fall over themselves trying to run away, more like." Allen placed Lavi's glass in the sink and wiped down the tabletop. "Don't you have somewhere else you need to be? Some unfortunate sod's bed?"

Lavi had a pout on. Allen would never tell him, but it was quite adorable. He hadn't thought a vampire two centuries old was still capable of such an expression. Then again, there were many things he couldn't have imagined before coming to Arkham.

…Lavi's lips were even wibbling.

"Oh, for heaven's sake – "

"Arkham's sake. There's no heaven for us," Lavi helpfully added.

"You're impossible. Get out before I chase you with a broom. I'll see you at the usual spot."

Lavi's expression brightened. Allen turned away so Lavi couldn't see his grin.

That didn't stop Lavi. With inhuman speed Lavi had crossed the bar and ruffled his hair once more before he was gone, swinging bar door in his wake. Allen blinked, both disgruntled and amused. He managed to rearrange his hair before Krory walked through the back door at a sedate pace and they started setting up shop.

.

_On the chilliest of winter nights they would stay home. The crowd would be too dismal for them to earn anything decent for their performance. One look at the snow outside and Nea would pronounce them snowed in, to which Allen would squeal and grab his uncle around the waist. They never made much, but they had enough for a small fire to huddle around and a simple dinner of warm porridge. Then the stories began. _

_Mana always went first. He told stories of ghouls and wolves and harpies. They've always excited Allen – there were so many clever creatures in those stories, and excitement and adventure. Mana and Nea made a team – they would pretend to be creatures of the night, with fangs and claws, to scare Allen. Allen never got truly scared though. He would pretend shriek, but he knew he would always be safe in their huddle of blankets, between his two favourite people in the world. _

_When their laughter died down it would be Nea's turn. Nea's stories were as good as Mana's. He always told them stories of vampires. Allen never got tired of them, because the stories would always be new. Nea would tell him of a girl vampire who could never fall in love, or sibling vampires that travelled the world. It all felt so real to Allen. He could see the towers in Nea's tales, the seas and mountains in every word. _

_By the time they finished Allen would be sleepy, though he would always deny it. He would even mutter something, try to scold them when they put him in his bed, but they would laugh and tuck him in, Mana's hand smoothing away stray hair and Nea pulling the blankets up to his shoulders. The next day the snow would stop and they would perform again, braving the cold and the wind. But it was okay, because Allen knew he would always have Mana and Nea with him. _

_Until the one day he grew up and they were nowhere to be found, leaving only their old books and maps behind. _


	2. Chapter Two

**Prompt**: Quarry

* * *

The usual spot was a little nook between two mismatched buildings visible from _Luna_. It was roomy enough for two, and canvas sheets provided a roof and door for both of them. Not that Lavi needed that much protection from the elements, Allen thought before a huge, jaw-cracking yawn overtook his senses. He was becoming a metaphorical night creature, with his job. The sky was already more gray than blue as he ducked into the usual spot.

Lavi was there waiting for him. "Heya, my favourite bar keeper!" He trilled like a bird.

"Hello, my favourite annoying vampire," Allen said.

Lavi beamed. "So you admit I'm your favourite! You shoulda said so earlier!" He patted the sofa seat next to him. When Allen sat the cushion sagged down and made him twice as sleepy, until Lavi grabbed him around the shoulders and shocked his neck with cool skin.

"Lavi," he grumbled, "you're cold."

"And you're warm," Lavi countered. "You're like my personal furnace."

"Thrilled," Allen said with a droll voice. He yawned again. "Can we go and hibernate now? It's my off day."

"Oh, my dear, young friend. Hibernation and off days do not go together. But maybe you can get a free pass this time," he amended when Allen glared at him then cracked his jaw yawning. "Food first?"

Allen shook his head. "Sleep first." Glutton that he was, for the time being he only wanted the loving embrace of his warm bed.

"Sleep it is!" Lavi said way too happily for this time in the night. Morning. Whichever. He tugged Allen up from the couch and pushed them through the flap that served as the usual spot's door.

The sky was a proper gray now, with some hopeful pink tints. Lavi had grabbed Allen's wrist to drag him through the criss-cross of streets. His apartment wasn't far, so Allen didn't quite see Lavi's need to walk him home these few days. Unfortunately, there weren't enough brain cells at the moment for him to figure it out.

Lavi shook his head mournfully as they approached Building 14. "I still think you need a new designer."

"Shut up," Allen said quite clearly through his exhaustion. He didn't disagree, he was just too tired to agree and then listen to Lavi's tirade. The building was in alternating shades of mud brown and faded yellow. It reminded Allen too much of the puke that covered some part of _Luna_ every other night.

The interior wasn't much better, Allen reflected as he stumbled his way to door 49 and turned the lock. At least it wasn't brown and yellow, but the off-white had disturbing tints of red and dark pink. It felt as though a murder scene had taken place there. The bright white light flooded the place when Allen flicked the switch. Lavi had already walked in like he owned the place and was heading to Allen's room.

"Annoying vampire," Allen muttered under his breath, knowing Lavi could hear him. It took him a few strides across the small kitchen-cum-lounge to catch up with Lavi.

"Your room is way too neat," Lavi said when Allen caught up. Lavi sounded disappointed. Allen rolled his eyes and draped his jacket over the back of his chair. "Are you sure this is a bachelor's pad? Where's the floor strewn with clothes? Didn't I just throw some of your underwear around the other day?"

"Which I had to clean up," Allen said pointedly, almost too tired to be annoyed. Ever since Lavi had started walking Allen home there had been no end to his privacy being invaded. Thankfully Lavi hadn't found the important stuff yet. He had those double-locked in a private drawer. After dumping a small bag onto his chair he pointed at the door. "Out, Lavi."

"Why?" Lavi asked, distracted. He was flipping through one of the books Allen had. "Do you know I was there when Hans Christian Andersen wrote this? Funniest guy ever – "

"Lavi, I know you're convinced you're the greatest thing that the world has ever produced. But out you go."

"Does that mean you think I'm the greatest thing ever, too?" Lavi said with a hopeful expression.

Allen scoffed and pushed Lavi out the door. If Lavi had really wanted to Allen wouldn't be able to move him at all. It seemed Lavi was willing to play along. "Allen, Al, aw, come on – "

It was satisfying to close the door on his face. Allen hurriedly changed, knowing a closed door had never deterred Lavi much. By the time he had on a long-sleeved soft shirt and long pants Lavi was jiggling the door knob. He had switched off the light and was curled under his blanket by the time Lavi barged in, making far too much noise.

Lavi's face fell. "You're no fun."

"Go away, Lavi," Allen mumbled, trying to bury himself under the covers. Sleep was pulling him in. He couldn't care less about why Lavi was disappointed that he was dressed and in bed. His pillow was soft, and he had changed his sheets yesterday, so it smelt clean and fresh. He felt a dip on the side of the mattress and, a second later, a hand carding through his hair. It was strangely comforting.

"Can I hang out here?" Lavi asked in a soft voice. He sounded like he was talking from very far away. His hand didn't feel as cold in Allen's hair.

Allen pushed his head into the caress, unaware of his actions. "Whatever," he managed to slur before sleep claimed him.

.

Lavi waited until Allen was completely asleep before he stood up, gently disentangling his hand from Allen's dark brown hair. His mouth was set in a hard line.

Weak light was filtering through the curtains. He tugged them completely closed – he had already switched off the main room's lights before entering Allen's room. Now the apartment was dark except for the faint morning sun outside. Allen's breath was slow and deep. Lavi felt guilty about making Allen wait for his sleep, but it was safer this way. With the sun – however ineffectual it was – there would be fewer enemies.

He slipped out the small dagger he always kept in his belt. Taking a deep breath, he murmured, "Sorry, Gramps."

The slash stung and would be a hard one to heal. He had used a pure silver blade. But that made it more effective, he thought with grim satisfaction as the dark blood pooled in his palm. He tilted his hand and dripped three drops onto the windowsill. He had to act fast. The window was covered, then Allen's bedroom door, the main entrance, the window in the kitchen, the toilet ventilation and door…

All plausible entrances were covered before Lavi allowed himself to wash his wound in the kitchen sink. It hadn't gone too deep, but he still needed nightshade balm to close the wound. Digging around his back pocket with his right hand, he retrieved the small bottle. After drying what he could – the blood kept oozing out, and he couldn't afford to lose much more – he applied a small amount, enough to stop the bleeding. There was nothing he could do for the sting until he naturally healed.

The hard part was done. Thrice invited, thrice entered, and the protection of his blood could be used. Until Allen found a proper Alliance. Now he just had to cast a glamour on all the bloodstains. It would be hard to pass them off as old bloodstains when they were so fresh. Allen might throw a fit, and then he might actually kill Lavi when he found out they belonged to him…

Six glamours later Lavi felt exhausted. It was always harder to do anything in daylight, he thought with a fuzzy feeling in his head. The sting in his palm made him want to scratch it. He clenched his fist, winced when it tugged at the wound, and gave up on relieving the pain. It had been too long since he had felt real pain like this, small though it was. Before he allowed himself to sleep he walked silently to Allen's door and pushed it open.

Allen was still breathing deeply. He had flipped over onto his back, his hands on top of the blanket and loosely clutching the material. In sleep his face smoothened out to look almost child-like. Lavi grinned, closing the door quietly.

The tiny couch seemed good enough for the day. He had slept on worse surfaces before.

.

At his spot on top of Arkham's tallest building, Tyki pursed his lips and let out a long drag of smoke. His posture was lazy and slouched against the water tank, but his eyes were trained on a window which had curtains drawn across it, several blocks away. The sunglasses he wore protected him from the few sun rays poking through the clouds.

A whisper of cloth against skin was all the warning he got before a small girl stood beside him, her hands crossed behind her back as she bent down to look in his face. He lowered his cigarette.

"Road. Where's Sheryl?"

Road smiled, mischief in her dark eyes. She smoothed out the seat of her white dress before sitting next to Tyki. "Snuck out while he's asleep. I locked him in," she added with glee.

"That won't stop him," Tyki pointed out. Nothing could stop Sheryl when it came to his precious Road.

"Oh, it will, if he doesn't want me leaving home," Road said, all matter-of-fact tone. She had already left home thrice this past month. It had taken begging and bribes of candy (each more exorbitant than the previous time – she had even requested Bombay blood lollipops once) before Road went home each time. "Where's Allen?"

"Home. Sleeping. Like you should be."

Road huffed. "That's no fun. I didn't get to talk to him. The Earl had me doing some stupid chores so I wouldn't go to _Luna_."

Tyki raised an eyebrow. Road doing chores was as unexpected as Road refusing candy. Still, Tyki reminded her, "He's your blood father."

"Yours too. So why do you get to do the fun stuff, huh?" Road countered.

_Because if it were up to you, Allen would be your feed already_. Outwardly Tyki shrugged. Road would be appeased soon enough when she got to see Allen in _Luna_.

"What'd you have to do?"

Road waved her hand around. "Oh, the usual. Kill off some of those stupid hunters. The stronger ones," Road said with a smug smile. "They weren't any match 'gainst me and Wisely. Hide their bodies, destroy the evidence. All that kinda stuff. They didn't even taste nice." Road wrinkled her nose in distaste.

At least they were fresh, Tyki thought. He inhaled another puff of smoke. Now that his body was as good as dead it couldn't harm him, just deaden his senses slightly. Something for him to do when off duty. Or during low energy jobs, like this one.

"Our lil' information broker has gotten to him. Eye-patch boy," he offered.

"What'd he do?"

"Blood protection," Tyki said. That should have been what Lavi had done by now, from what Tyki guessed. Road hummed, not seeming overly concerned. She crossed her legs and wiggled one foot, candy-red bright against the dull concrete.

"No matter. That only works in some places. It's temporary too. And his Protection is almost up," Road said in an offhand tone. She flexed her foot. Reaching into her pocket she drew out one stick of gum and popped it into her mouth. In between chews, she said, "You haven't told him, have you? 'bout Mana and Nea Walker. I wanted to, but the Earl said to wait."

"If he told you to wait, there's no reason I shouldn't as well," Tyki reasoned. "The Earl has his plan. All we have to do – " he smirked – "is pull him in. Slowly."

Road smiled as well, challenging. "He's _mine_, Tyki. Butt outta this."

Behind his glasses, there was a glint of amusement in Tyki's eyes. _We'll see about that,_ he thought as he continued watching the window with its closed curtains, cigarette dangling loosely between his lips. _We'll definitely have to see about that_.

.

Kanda's eyes snapped open the second he felt somebody looking in his direction. His hand went to his sword first as he scanned the trees and bushes. He was crouched low in the foliage, able to see but avoid being seen.

The bushes rustled as they were parted. Kanda relaxed his grip.

"There you are," Lenalee said in a relieved, disapproving voice. She stopped a few metres away from Kanda's hiding spot. "Stop hiding already," she said with a hint of impatience.

Slowly, Kanda stood up, looking at Lenalee. She cast a critical gaze over him.

"You haven't been eating," she said softly.

"What are you doing here?"

Lenalee's lips thinned. "I've been worried sick about you, Kanda Yu. So you'd better give me a damn good explanation for your disappearing act."

Kanda resisted his growl. "Just tell me what you're doing here."

"Two."

Kanda looked at her. Her voice had trembled.

"Two hunters have gone missing. Did you – I have to know – "

Kanda kept silent. Lenalee's gaze was pleading. Before it could turn to horror he said, "I don't know about this."

Lenalee's shoulders slumped. She crossed her arms, looking down at the forest floor. Her voice rang clear in the silence, "I thought, I was scared that you were the one who…" She shook her head and gripped her elbows tightly.

"They're not my targets. Only Leverrier is," Kanda said after she had trailed off.

Lenalee sighed. She lifted her gaze from the floor. There was something desperately sad in her eyes that Kanda hated. "You're still determined. They're strong, Kanda. They haven't harmed the other beings, but if you should try to, I. I don't know what they'd do," she ended in a whisper. "And there hasn't been news of Alma for – "

_Ten years,_ Kanda completed for her in his head. Ten years since that day in the laboratory when only Kanda had managed to escape.

"He isn't dead," Kanda said, voice flat. "We were both success stories. They won't kill him. They'll use him. Until he has nothing to give. Then they'll kill him, if I don't get to them first."

"They might kill _you_," Lenalee said harshly.

Kanda laughed. Lenalee flinched at the hard sound. "I'd be lucky then. Better dead than one of their experiments."

Lenalee hesitated before she took one step forward, her fear and anger giving way to worry. One more step, then another. Her steps fell muffled on the grass as she approached him. Kanda watched, doing nothing, as she slowly reached a hand out and grasped his.

"Please, Kanda. _Please_. Stay safe. Don't…don't do anything foolish," she pleaded, her grip tightening on his hand. There were calluses she wasn't familiar with.

Kanda disentangled her grip carefully. "You've forgotten that I'm stronger than the average human," he said, not unkindly. It was the only reassurance he could offer her.

_But at what cost?_ Lenalee thought, hand dangling by her side. His muscles were still defined, but he was so much skinnier. His hair lacked the shine she used to envy. He was harder, but brittle and hostile. She couldn't reach out to him anymore. She didn't know how to reach out to him, or stop his notions of revenge.

Before her eyes Kanda shimmered and the man disappeared. A wolf with dark fur stood before her for a second, their gazes meeting. Then he slinked away into the bushes. Lenalee watched his trajectory among the dense forest life. She watched the way he held his head with caution and the grace of a real wolf, watched him move away until she couldn't sense his presence anymore.

Closing her eyes, she sang a short tune of prayer, offering the only protection she could.

.

_He woke up, not quite sure why. The itch in his throat reminded him he needed water. He could see light from beneath his bedroom door. As quietly as he could he slipped out of bed, his feet making little noise in his socks. He was tall enough to reach the door knob now, he noted with pride. _

_He froze as he reached for the knob. There was a voice he didn't know outside. It was speaking with Mana and Nea. _

_Allen knew Uncle Nea had very good hearing. When playing hide-and-seek Uncle Nea always knew if Allen was trying to sneak up on him. Allen was curious. About the new person, and he wanted to hear what they were talking about. He let his hand drop and pressed his ear to the keyhole. It wasn't very clear, but he could hear what was being said. If he concentrated very hard… _

_The new voice was deep, and it was louder than Mana's and Nea's. "…ness, utter madness. Fools, the both of you. Fools. What are you going to do now, huh? With a kid on your hands?"_

_Were they talking about him? Allen thought with his heart beating faster. _

_There was silence for a long time before he could hear Mana's voice. It was hoarse from a cold he had gotten. "…the Earl has…move…we could get…" Allen frowned. The cold was making Mana's words hard to hear. _

_Nea cut in then, in his distinct, sing-song inflection. "Cross, thank you for the news. We will do something about this." _

_The new guy's name was Cross. He didn't sound very happy when he said, "See that you do." _

_The voice was gone then. Their front door was opened and closed. Allen snuck back into bed hurriedly, unsure if Mana and Nea would come in to check on him. They sometimes did, and he didn't want them to catch him listening in. He pressed down lower into his bed. _

_Mana and Nea were muttering something in the living room. He ached to find out what they were talking about. A moment later the light was switched off and he could hear them heading to their rooms. Mana's room was across his, Nea's further down. _

_The footsteps stopped outside his room. Allen held his breath. He could close his eyes really quickly once the door was opened. _

_A few seconds passed in silence while Allen's heart beat a fast _tha-thump, tha-thump_. He tried to breathe slowly the way Uncle Nea had taught him to do when he couldn't fall asleep. He thought he heard somebody place his hand on the door knob for a while. _

_The moment passed. Allen saw the shadow beyond his door move away and, a while later, a door shutting quietly. The whole house was quiet except for the _tha-thump, tha-thump_ Allen could still hear. _

_For the longest time he laid awake, thirst forgotten, wondering what it was he had just heard, what it was about, and why Mana and Nea had sounded so scared. _

.

Allen opened his eyes in a heavy, slow motion, chasing a half-remembered dream. There was a sliver of light, shadows, a murmured conversation – a conversation he couldn't help feel was important. He didn't know why, or how, or what the conversation was about. As the fuzzy, warm weight cleared from his head the dream got further and further away. He was back in Arkham, in his apartment in Building 14. The light along the rim of his curtains was brighter. By his guess it was early afternoon.

He swung his legs out of bed and remained sitting there for a while. It was his off day in the week. He had a full day and more to do anything he wanted. And after that, he thought with a glance at his calendar, he had five days until the next full moon. He should think of something before work distracted him once more.

Walking to the window, he pulled it open to let some light in. The dawn gray had faded into something more cheerful. The mist had dissipated. He could see the back of the building opposite his and down into the dilapidated yard. Afternoons like these made Arkham peaceful, he thought, recalling what Lenalee had said about Arkham when they had first met.

Truly, Arkham was not _horribly_ dangerous, once you knew the laws and the way around it. But he understood that humans must always take precautions, Allen thought as he picked out his clothes for the day. Once he had everything settled, his Alliance first and foremost, he could concentrate on what he wanted to find in Arkham.

He opened his table cabinet, hesitating before reaching in and moving some things around. His suitcase was shifted aside before he could trace the small, silver keyhole. He lingered there before pulling his hand out and shifting everything back into place, the Venetian mask in its front spot before he closed the cabinet and went back to changing.

After brushing his teeth he took a moment before opening his bedroom door, eyes zooming in on where a tall man was folded into a tiny couch. Lavi was mumbling something in his sleep. Allen allowed himself a small smile at the sight, and a twinge of guilt. Though it really was Lavi's own fault that he had chosen to stay here when he could very well go home to a comfortable bed, wherever it was. In the end Allen's conscience decided for him and he stepped over to shake Lavi awake.

"Lavi," he said with one hand on Lavi's right shoulder.

"Mm…no, not the wasabi…"

He raised an eyebrow. As far as Allen knew there was no wasabi to be found in Arkham. He shook Lavi's shoulder once more.

"Lavi, the bed's free for you to use."

"Mrr."

Lavi's right hand flopped a bit, revealing his left arm tucked under his body, all the way to the elbow.

_It'd be numb by now, if it weren't for the fact he's a vampire – _

Allen frowned. There was something wrong with Lavi's left palm. It was half hidden under Lavi's cheek. He squinted, wondering if it was his eye tricking him.

No, there was something that shouldn't be there. Something like the edge of a cut. But Lavi didn't have that yesterday, or this morning. Granted, he was too sleepy to remember much of the morning…

Carefully, he reached into the hollow and pulled Lavi's hand out, finger by finger. Lavi offered no resistance, except for saying something regarding wasabi. Allen sucked in a sharp breath at the sight that greeted him when he saw his palm.

It was a clean, straight cut across the palm. But clearly a painful one. The cut had scabbed over. It would take about three days for it to heal on a normal human. On a vampire, likely less than a day.

But who did this? And how? And when?

"Mm…" Lavi's brow creased. Allen let the hand go and stood back, watching him wake up. Lavi's hands clenched and unclenched. Allen could see Lavi frown when he clenched against his wound. A dark green eye blinked open, disoriented.

"Lavi," Allen said. Lavi's eye focused and travelled up his body. A lazy cat's smile stretched his lips.

"Hey, Al," Lavi said, voice scratchy from sleep.

Allen took a deep breath. "I was about to offer you my bed – "

"With you in it?" Lavi asked, still languid.

Allen broke off, temporarily stunned. He shook his head. It wasn't the time to entertain that. "But now I want to ask you – " he reached for Lavi's left hand, holding it in his – "what is this?"

Lavi's face closed off. There was nary a sign left of his previously languid, lazy self. He retracted his hand and sat up, using the motion to hide his face from Allen for a while. When he looked up there was nothing in his expression to give Allen a clue.

"Cut myself. Klutz that I am, eh?" Lavi said with a smile.

"That's no ordinary cut. You would have healed by now. Only one thing can cause a scar in a vampire." Allen paused to see if Lavi would react. Lavi only kept smiling. "Silver," he said.

Lavi shrugged and heaved a dramatic sigh. "You caught me, then. I wanted to prepare breakfast for you – "

"Stop lying," Allen said in a low, furious voice. He caught Lavi's eye and didn't let go. "Say you were preparing breakfast. Could you cause a cut like that? Not on your thumb, or the back of your hand, or a finger, but _straight across your palm_? Only you could have done that to yourself, and recently. I'm not a fool, Lavi, and I'd appreciate it if you stopped treating me like one."

Lavi smirked and stretched. Allen hated that smirk, the way Lavi curled his lips. "And what would make you happy, Allen? So what if you know what I did? Or why I did it? And what if it's _none of your business_ why I did it?"

Allen felt as though he had been punched in the gut. He swallowed and clenched his fist. He'd never wanted to punch Lavi so much. Or shake the truth out of him. "It might be none of my business. But – nevermind," he shook his head. "Keep your secrets. Your bloody livelihood, right? Since when have you said anything that was not part of an exchange?"

He sat down on a neighbouring chair, too tired to continue this. This prying information out of an information broker, yes, but also this sick feeling that Lavi had never taken him seriously before. It was a feeling that stayed in his stomach, making him jittery, unbalanced.

Lavi flicked his gaze down and allowed the thick silence to linger. He clenched against the wound, feeling its sting. Allen didn't even look at the motion. He just looked away from Lavi in the direction of the kitchen window, still with its curtains drawn.

Thrice invited, thrice entered, three drops of blood for age-old protection. The glamour would wear off by the next moon, leaving the protection but removing its cover. Lavi sighed and gave in. He wondered when he had become so easy. "Blood protection," he said.

He thought Allen didn't hear him. The boy hadn't made any visible reaction. He realized, after a while, that Allen was waiting for him to continue.

"If, by the next moon, you still haven't chosen your Alliance, my blood will protect you for a while. At least, while you're here. The bar is safe enough, and I'll walk you home. I just wanted to…buy some time."

Allen turned around, finally looking at Lavi. His features were guarded. "Why?"

"I…I'm not quite sure what you're asking," Lavi took his time to choose his words.

"Why did you think I needed extra protection? What do I have to fear?"

Lavi couldn't help his incredulity. "You've seen Arkham, haven't you? There're laws, yes, but there'll always be those who want fresh human flesh, and they might not be able to resist – "

"There are other humans who've faced the same danger, before me. Why did you choose to protect _me_?" Allen explained his question.

"That…I'd rather not answer that now. Please." Lavi willed Allen to understand. He had his secrets, as did Allen. "It's not the right time. Not now. At least…until after your Alliance."

It took a while before Allen nodded. He seemed to think about something before he admitted, "I wanted to know, not because I thought it's my business." He sounded hesitant. At Lavi's curious gaze he looked away and continued, "I was just worried."

Lavi blinked. "For me?"

Allen crossed his arms, now looking a bit defensive. "In case you hadn't noticed, I treat you as a friend, not as a business partner, alright?"

"Oh."

Allen flushed. He wasn't quite sure what reaction he expected from Lavi, just not an "oh". He stood up. "I'm making breakfast," he announced before moving into the kitchen area, still within Lavi's sight. At least he had a legitimate excuse for keeping his back to him.

Unknown to him, Lavi watching Allen's back, had smiled, teeth and all, like a child who had received a puppy for Christmas.

.

It was night when Tyki saw the Earl again. He kneeled before the Earl, one knee sinking into the soft carpet. Only a fireplace illuminated the room.

"Hello, Tyki Tyk," the Earl cooed. His face was hidden in shadow.

"Good evening, Earl," Tyki said with respect. He bent to kiss the back of a gloved hand.

"Rise. Sit with me, boy," the Earl said, indicating the chair next to his. Tyki stood and took the seat, enjoying the sensual press of velvet around his body. He kept silent, waiting for the Earl to speak first. The Earl busied himself with the tea service on the small table between them.

"How _is_ Allen doing? Well, I hope?" The Earl said, pouring tea for both of them.

"Well enough. Road wanted to go find him today, but it's his off day. You can imagine her disappointment," Tyki said. He accepted the cup and took a small sip of tea.

The Earl chuckled. "Ah, our dear Road has always been uncontrollable. She didn't go spy on him tonight, did she?"

"It's her father-daughter night with Sheryl. You'll only have to worry again tomorrow," Tyki said, taking a side glance at the amount of sugar the Earl was adding into his tea.

"Too true. We need only wait a few more days, in any case. I trust Allen hasn't found his Alliance yet?" He sounded cheerful.

"No. Lavi – the information broker – seems especially interested, though."

The Earl took a sip of tea before saying, "He is only slightly more than two centuries old. He cannot offer much protection. We needn't worry about him."

Tyki inclined his head. "He has made friends among some of the other species. He still keeps in contact with the siren Lenalee Lee," he added.

"Ah, but sirens hardly make Alliances with humankind. They are very picky, their kind. That scientist, Komui Lee, he's an exception, that's all."

"As you say," Tyki agreed.

"You know what I'm worried about, Tyki boy?" The Earl asked, leaning closer. Tyki could see the clean-shaven chin and a wide smile. He humoured the Earl by leaning in as well.

"What is it, Earl?"

"That the boy might have lost his loyalties," he said with a giggle. "Then it'll all be for naught, won't it?"

"Oh, dear Earl. With all due respect, I doubt that," Tyki smiled. "He came all the way to Arkham, after all."

"True, oh so true. Oh my, oh my. We'll have to prepare so much, won't we, Tyki? For the arrival of our grand guest," the Earl said, leaning back and taking his time to finish his tea. After he had put his cup down he asked, "Do you think he'll like his surprise?"

"I'm sure he will. He's been looking for too long."

"Yes. We've lost too much at this point," the Earl said in a tight whisper.

Tyki finished his tea in silence. He put the cup down on the saucer with a quiet clink. Outside, it was threatening to storm. A flash of lightning illuminated the room and, for the briefest second, the Earl's face. A second was all Tyki needed to take a good look.

"You're looking younger every day, Earl," he said quietly, with an ache in his chest. Blood connections held through centuries.

The Earl nodded. He touched his chin and said, in an equally quiet voice, "We have time. Not much. But we do. We've waited too long to run out of time now."


	3. Chapter Three

**Prompt**: Paranoia

* * *

Three nights before the full moon, a shape slinked around walls and kept to the darkness, avoiding the flame lamps of the main streets. The moon, still missing a bit of her circle, hung in the sky. There was a general murmur of excitement as the Arkham residents went about their night and waited, with increasing impatience, for the moon to complete her cycle. Full moon nights were always special, for better or for worse.

Under the canvas, Lavi looked up from his book, snuffed out the candle with his fingers, and waited. His eye dilated, adjusting. The shape stopped outside the flap and disappeared momentarily. A hand lifted the flap and a man stepped into the nook.

"Yu," Lavi said, sugar sweet. He stood up in one long, smooth motion. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I've missed you."

"Cut the crap," Kanda said.

"You smell lovely too. All forest musk and mud. I bet even you are starting to miss civilization."

Kanda scoffed. "What's this about two hunters going missing?"

"Demanding, aren't you? What about inviting me for tea and all that?" Lavi smiled disarmingly. He held out his hands, palms up, when Kanda growled at him. "No attacking, now. This is a no-fight zone."

"What do you want?" Kanda asked, sword hand twitching.

"Simple. I give you the information you want, and you do me a favour. Easy enough?"

Kanda flicked his eyes to the side, studying the building wall. It was one of Lavi's easier deals, though that depended on the nature of the favour. "Fine. Yours first," he said.

Lavi shrugged, not fighting him on this. He sunk back onto the couch, patting the seat beside his. Kanda didn't make a move from his position near the entrance. Lavi smiled. "Suit yourself. Well, let's see now…it took some digging, but I found their names. Codenames, rather. Raven and Owl went missing."

"Two of the top five," Kanda said. He was so stoic Lavi nearly couldn't tell that he was surprised by the information.

Lavi nodded. "No evidence. No signs of struggle. No blood. None of the representatives owned up to it, of course. But Raven and Owl were strong. The biggest suspects, at the moment, are the Noahs. But there was not a single scrap of evidence when they were searched. Of course, Raven and Owl are good enough that they can metamorphose like you and just leave, but hunters have sworn. It's not likely that they wouldn't have run away."

He stopped talking to allow it to sink in. Lavi took the moment to run through the information he had. From what Komui had said, Leverrier didn't have enough evidence to persecute the Noahs, though the tension was almost at breaking point. But he couldn't yet discount some other species that would love to prey on humans – or even hybrids, as was the case of the top five. Some ghouls weren't particularly picky.

But Lavi's bigger worry was the Earl's movements. From what he heard through the grapevines of the other species, the Earl was striking up amiable working relationships with most of the species' representatives. To further their plans of dominance over the human race? It wasn't out of the question.

Times like this, he wished more than ever that the deceased Bookman was with him.

Kanda flexed his hand, contemplating it. Lavi followed his gaze. "You think you're strong enough, now?" Lavi questioned.

He didn't say anything in response, just looked back. Lavi leaned on the couch and rested his arms along the back. "You might as well wait for the other three to be gotten rid of. There's a reason Raven and Owl were attacked. Jabberwock, Gryphon, and Dodo aren't safe. Leverrier's throat will be free for you if they're gone. But if it's just looking for Alma – "

Kanda frowned. "Any word of replacements?"

"It took you ten years to fully metamorphose," Lavi pointed out. "Their next batch is at least one year too early for full strength. But even so, are you sure you can even reach where they've kept Alma in the first place? My scout says he's deep, way too deep in Central."

"He's there. I'll sense him in the building," Kanda said with a tone of finality.

"If you say so. Hope Lenalee doesn't skin and make a pelt of you. My turn," he added quickly when Kanda looked as if he very much wanted to skin Lavi alive. "I need you to be a temporary scout. Tomorrow, and one day before the full. It'll be too dangerous on the full."

"Where? And for what?"

"Your eyes and ears are better than even some vampires. I need you to scout the Noahs. Let me know what they're doing. Anything that seems weird, just tell me. If you have to follow one, follow Road or Tyki. I'll be here between moonrise and sunrise both days. If not, just wait for a while. After these two days, go do whatever you want. I'll share whatever information I have when you visit again."

Kanda looked at him, betraying no emotion. Then he nodded and slipped out as silently as he had entered.

.

Two nights before the full moon, _Luna_ was well into its rush period. Allen had gotten into the swing of things easily enough. When he had arrived on the previous moon _Luna_ had been almost empty. Marie had explained that full moons were when each species had their own rituals to uphold. Hence the rush before the full when each creature came to get its fill.

"Another A here," Krory said, his low growl carrying over the din. He was more aggressive nearer the full too, Allen noted.

"Coming right up," he called back as he finished plating the medium rare mutant rabbit for three harpies. Balancing the plates on his arms he delivered them to their table with a swift smile. They waggled their feathers at him in thanks.

"One AB and two Os here," Noise said as he came back.

"Got it," Allen said as he bent over to listen to the gnome's order. "One grass cocktail here, please!" He called in Marie's direction before using both hands to fill up four glasses of blood. He slid the A along to Krory, who caught it with one hand while using the other to serve a weed pie to a goblin. The orders from Marie's side he brought over, receiving the grass cocktail in turn. The bell rang above the door as he pressed the grass cocktail into the gnome's little hands. He looked up to see who it was, and where they were likely to sit.

The top hat alerted him. "One seat free here, Tyki," he said over the din, gesturing at the seat beside the gnome.

"Thank you, boy," Tyki said when he was close enough. His gold eyes shone as he smiled. "One A for me."

"Got it," Allen said, opening a new bottle of A. They would have to stock up tomorrow or on the full, when it wasn't so busy. "How're you doing?" He asked as he poured the liquid into a tall glass.

Lavi had warned him against the Noahs. But Tyki was still a customer, and he might have useful information, Allen knew as he smiled at Tyki.

"Well enough," Tyki said, receiving the glass and inclining his head. "The Earl asks after you."

"That's kind of him. Send my regards."

Tyki drank a bit before replying, "Oh, I'm sure you can do so yourself, boy."

"What do you mean by that?" Allen asked, his brow creased. A ghoul raising his hand caught Allen's attention. He held up one finger in Tyki's direction – _one moment, please_ – and refilled the ghoul's glass with chicken blood and raw meat pulp. When he came back Tyki was sipping at his drink and looking around with faint interest, seeming to look at one spot for an extended period. When Allen looked in the same direction all he could see was a darkened patch, just outside the range of the flame lamps.

"Thank you for waiting," Allen said as he picked up the shaker and placed some ice cubes in it. As he measured out the tomato juice he asked again, "Are you saying the Earl wants to see me?"

Tyki placed the glass down. "Certainly he does. He wants to find out about your Alliance, too."

Allen hummed. He added a large dash of B blood, snake's blood, and pepper before closing the shaker. He tossed it from hand to hand first, before it went around his back, over his head, was caught and shaken while he took out one cocktail glass, and finally rolled over his shoulders to be caught by his left hand and emptied into the glass. Two sirens sang notes of appreciation.

"Impressive," Tyki murmured when Allen had served the drink to a chimera and came back. There were no more new orders for the time being, so Allen felt free to lean over the counter to speak with Tyki. He switched on the tap to fill the sink with water first.

"Why would the Earl be interested in my Alliance? I'm just one more human, aren't I?" Allen pointed out.

Tyki smiled. It reminded Allen a little of Lavi's smiles when he had secrets to keep, only Tyki's made Allen warier. He still didn't know what the Noahs were thinking.

Tyki crooked a finger and beckoned Allen forward. Allen switched off the water tap and scanned the bar to make sure there were no more requests. Only then did he lean further forward, turning his head to one side.

"The Earl," Tyki breathed into his ear, "has information about Mana and Nea Walker."

Allen jerked back, eyes wide.

_How would – why – _

His heart was starting to beat a faster pace. The hollers and cackles of the creatures were suddenly too noisy for him to bear. "How – how could that be?" He forced himself to ask. Nea and Mana had been gone for…too long. Too long that he remembered. And the only information he had found, up to now, belonged to the Earl in Arkham?

Tyki took his time drinking. Allen would have reached out with one hand to grab Tyki by the lapels of his coat had he not been working. The sirens gesturing for him forced him to leave his spot, plaster on a smile – as strained as he felt – to entertain their orders for honey and lemon.

By the time he returned to his previous spot, only a note placed on the bar remained. Allen snatched it up and read,

_Hunter's Moon night_

_1 Ark Road_

_The Noahs' Mansion_

_Anytime after moonrise. We await your arrival._

_Tyki Mikk_

He read over it twice before folding it and slipping it into his pocket. He looked around the bar one more time, just to be sure. But all he could hear and see were creatures in various states of drunkenness, and several loud roars of laughter. Krory was wiping down the bar and humming a little tune Eliade had taught him.

Allen felt a world away. Numb, he reached for a glass in the sink and started washing it, hands clenched tight on it, mind working in overdrive.

The clue had fallen into his lap, far too easily. There was something deep inside him that protested, that sent alarm bells ringing. Cold sweat slid down the back of his neck as he stood among flickering flame lamps, in the press of Arkham's night life.

.

There was only the faint hint of gray when Kanda stepped through the flap again. Lavi sat straight up, waiting for him to change.

"Tyki spoke with your bar keeper," Kanda wasted no time saying after he changed back.

Lavi mulled over this. Tyki and Road had been spending time in _Luna_. To his knowledge Allen had just treated them as customers. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Not surprised there. Anything weird?"

"If you call the bean sprout looking shocked weird," Kanda replied.

Allen shocked? Poker-face Allen openly shocked, in front of customers? Lavi frowned. "Do you know what was said?"

"The Noah left a note for him. But he knew I was there. I couldn't hear what he said, besides the fact that the Earl is interested in his Alliance."

Lavi shot Kanda a look. "He knew you were there. And you got out alive."

Kanda glared at him.

"Fine, fine. Anything else after the bar?"

"Tyki and Road stayed in the mansion. Two other Noahs left, but haven't returned by the time I left."

Lavi cursed under his breath. He raked a hand through his hair, leaving his eye and eye patch clearly visible. His mouth was set in a grim line. "Dodo went missing tonight," he gritted out.

Kanda didn't react, merely looked like he was thinking about it.

"The Earl is on his move," Lavi said as he stood up and walked to the flap. He paused at the opening, eyeing Kanda. "Be careful, whatever you're thinking. I'll see you here tomorrow."

He waited for Kanda to nod before stepping out into the alley.

.

Allen was the last to exit from the back door. He paused at the step and looked at a corner behind the dustbin. Shaking his head, he pulled the key out and turned around to lock the door.

"You can come out, you know," he said.

One beat, two, and Lavi came out of the darkness. "Cor, it stinks here. What'd you serve? Rotten eggs?"

"If only it were that normal. Say, does chicken blood taste different from human blood?" Allen stepped down and started leading the way to his apartment.

Lavi kept pace with Allen, arms crossed behind his head as he walked. "Nastier. Even days old blood taste better. Let me guess – a ghoul ordered it."

"Bingo," Allen said with a small smile. "Not just a ghoul. Ghouls. I never thought I'd find them in _Luna_. Thought they kept to their wells and underground caves."

"They do. Unless it's near the moon. They love to feed off energy. Especially human energy," Lavi added with a mischievous grin.

"Lovely. Thank you ever so much for having told me this before tonight."

"You're welcome, darling." Lavi gave a quick, gracious bow.

"You're incorrigible." Allen walked around a drunk chimera with hardly a bat of the eyelash. Too much snake's blood tended to do that.

Lavi tapped a finger on his chin. "Lemme see…is that better or worse than 'impossible'?"

"You're pretty much beyond recovery. So they're on equal terms."

"Brilliant!" Lavi said happily. "That means I'm still your favourite vampire, right?"

"How you ever concluded that, I will never know," Allen said. He grabbed Lavi's wrist, stopping him from walking into the path of a warg. "Do you ever watch where you're going?"

"When you're here to do it for me, nope!" Lavi said without shame. He wriggled his wrist free and linked their fingers together before Allen could take it back, before pulling him across the clear street. A siren whistled at them as they ducked into another street. Lavi winked back, ignoring Allen rolling his eyes beside him. Lavi grinned at him and commented, "You're holding up pretty well, for a rush night. Aren't you supposed to be yawning by now?"

Allen blinked. "Oh. Adrenaline, maybe. I'm still buzzed."

Lavi took another look back before tugging Allen to his side to avoid a small, snoring gnome. "Hmm. We can hang out a bit then, before you crash."

"What about you? Isn't it time for you to sleep?"

"I can manage. Didn't do much tonight."

Allen raised both eyebrows. "Didn't go out chasing some beautiful siren? Or straightening some harpy's ruffled feathers? Well, colour me astounded. Are you not some Shadow disguised as Lavi?"

"Hmm, I don't know. If I try to steal your skin let me know. The great mystery will be solved."

Allen chuckled. Shadows did not have any temperature, they were just…there, the nightmare of every child in Arkham. Lavi's hand, however, was starting to warm up with his body heat.

"Ah, the ever so beautiful Building 14," Lavi said as they exited the street and crossed the road to the building's stairs. "How I've missed thee."

"You were just here yesterday." Allen tried to free his hand to take his key out. Lavi refused to let go, forcing him to reach his left hand into his pocket at an awkward angle. "What's up with you, Lavi?" He asked as they took the stairs up.

"Withdrawal symptoms," Lavi explained with a serious look.

"Ah. And here I was thinking you've already taken your daily dose of idiocy. Poor thing."

"_Nay, nay, monsieur_. You've reminded me that I've failed my sacred duty to all of Arkham kind. Not a single lady was witness to my charms tonight! How can we let this be? How could I have let this be? My soul is in torment!" Lavi cried, swinging their linked hands as though in protest.

"The devil loves tormented souls. Don't despair, he'll have you," Allen offered with sympathy. He placed the key in the lock and turned, breathing a sigh of relief as they stepped into his apartment. Lavi finally let go of him so he could shut the door and take his jacket off. Lavi bounded onto then curled into the small couch, watching Allen walk into his room to place his things down.

It was getting chilly, Allen noted as he walked back into the living room. But not cold enough to justify turning on the heater. He was about to take the chair when Lavi reached out and tugged him onto the couch.

"What am I, a teddy bear?" Allen grunted.

"Close enough. You're a bit too skinny for a teddy bear though."

Allen leaned against the couch, head resting on the back. He stared up at the ceiling while Lavi shifted around until he was comfortable, which seemed to consist of pressing as close as possible to Allen to leech off his warmth. He eventually settled down in a half sprawl, one arm flung around Allen's waist.

Allen was contented to close his eyes and stay quiet after Lavi had finally calmed down. He thought Lavi was as well, until he opened his mouth and said, "Soooooo…"

There was an expectant pause.

Allen cracked open the eye closer to Lavi. "So?" Allen asked warily.

Lavi sighed. "It's two more days, Allen."

Allen closed his eye. "I know," he muttered. "Everyone's been reminding me about it. Like it's the end of my life if I don't make an Alliance then."

"It's not. It's just safer. But tell me your choices," Lavi coaxed.

Allen had been thinking about it since his off day. "I think…my best bet might be the skilled labourers."

Lavi hummed, encouraging him to go on.

"But I don't know what other help they might need – they probably don't need performers and the like, do they?" Allen asked.

"Yeah, not really," Lavi agreed with a hint of regret. "Entertainment is not top of the list. You could start one, but Arkham residents are usually more concerned about other stuff."

"Then I'll have to sell my bar keeping skills. I'd like to keep working with Marie." Allen bit his lip, looking worried. Lavi tapped a finger on his lips to stop him doing that, and smiled as reassuringly as he could.

"You still can, you know. Even without being their official ally. Have you thought of other Alliances?" Lavi asked.

Allen hesitated. His hand crept to the pocket with the note Tyki had left him. "There was…one option offered to me, just now."

Lavi nodded, not daring to interrupt.

"I think Tyki Mikk wants me to make an Alliance with the Noahs. At least, he has information I want – information I need."

Allen was surprised when, instead of vehement protests or a warning against the Noahs, Lavi asked, "Information about what?"

He wondered whether to tell. It had been held so close to him for too long. He studied Lavi's expression of genuine interest for a while before settling on, "I've been looking for some people."

An ache made itself known, deep in his heart. Where have they gone? It has been five years, five years of being alone. He started to fear that he had forgotten their faces. But ever since he had arrived in Arkham more and more images have been coming back to him, and he had been piecing together memories of his father and uncle. A voice, a pair of eyes, their heights – they were so tall in his memories of chasing after them.

Allen swallowed and continued, encouraged by Lavi pressing closer. "My father and my uncle. Mana and Nea Walker. They have been missing since I was ten. And Tyki Mikk says he has information about them," he whispered, confusion he had been repressing the whole night rising to the surface and, more than ever, desperate to know more. This was the closest he had gotten to finding them, and it was shrouded in danger and mystery.

Lavi wound his arms tighter around Allen. "You've been looking for a long time, huh?" He said quietly.

Allen nodded. "I have to find them. Even if that means making an Alliance with the Noahs – "

"Don't. Please don't," Lavi said. He was as close to begging as Allen had ever heard him. "I know it's important to you. But if you make an Alliance, they can trap you. They've gone beyond a mutually beneficial relationship with humans."

"I can't just give up this thread. I cannot!" Allen insisted, turning to face Lavi. The worried look in Lavi's eye nearly made him lose his resolve. "I've been searching for far too long."

Lavi forced himself to be logical and calm. Allen needed something to stabilize himself. "I'd rather you not make an Alliance than rush into one with them. You're smart, you're strong, you _can_ make it in Arkham for many more moons, even without an Alliance. Lenalee and I are here too, we'll help you," he reasoned. "And have you forgotten? _I'm_ the information broker. I'll find out more about Mana and Nea Walker. Promise."

Allen didn't smile. He searched Lavi's face and said, solemn, "You're serious? How bad can the Noahs get?"

"I'd rather not find out. What was Tyki's offer?"

Silently, Allen pulled out the note and handed it to Lavi. Lavi unwound his arm from Allen's waist to take the note, leaving Allen feeling strangely bereft.

After a moment Lavi said, "It would be unwise to reject their invitation. Go, find out what they have to say – but do so tonight. The Night Gods can still protect you."

Allen jerked in surprise. "Tonight? The note says – "

"It says the full moon, yes. The night you no longer have Protection. If you go tonight, you can see what they're willing to say without harm."

If the Earl wouldn't mind his early intrusion, Allen thought. "My shift, it's too short notice – "

"I'll cover you."

Allen gaped. He floundered for words to say. "I – what?"

"I said, I'll cover you. Your shift. I haven't lived two hundred years and not learnt how to mix a drink or two."

After a second of silence, Allen said with wonder, "You _are_ that worried."

If Lavi had the ability to blush, he suspected he would be a deep tomato red then. He grinned to cover his embarrassment up. "Anything for my darling bar keeper."

Allen narrowed his eyes, still suspicious. "You haven't stated your price."

"Price?" Lavi tilted his head to the side, confused.

Allen looked away. "You can't just be…doing this. Covering my shift and finding information about my family for nothing."

A pang of hurt seized Lavi's chest. But Allen…had the right to be suspicious. Lavi had dealt too long in exchanges. He had just never had much practice cultivating a friendship without mutual benefits. He mustered up a small smile and said, "As I recall, a few days ago someone had said that he was worried about me because he treated me as a friend."

Allen flushed and glared.

Lavi chuckled. "But if you must see this as an exchange, then you can do something for me."

"What is it?" Allen asked, wary.

Lavi leaned forward and said, into Allen's ear, "Trust me."

.

He slipped out while Allen was still asleep. He wasn't as fast in daylight, but he had had about four hours sleep on Allen's couch. It was enough for him to start his information gathering.

It was the matter of minutes before he was pushing open the door to a huge, underground laboratory. The sound of something exploding greeted him. Desks and papers were in disarray. Lavi stepped through the disaster zone and tried to find one Reever Wenhamm. Trying to avoid knocking into people didn't work, though. A girl pushing a coffee trolley nearly crashed into him.

"Ah – sorry – oh, Lavi!" Lenalee exclaimed upon seeing him. He grinned at her.

"Heya, Lenalady," Lavi said, gladly receiving her hug.

"Oh, you're always coming at the most inconvenient times," she said when they parted. "Tapp and Johnny blew something up again, and 65 disappeared into ghost land and there's no way to find him – " she shook her head – "and the sounds, you wouldn't believe the sounds. Thank goodness Marie just delivered last night's contributions. We just have to make sure brother doesn't burn all the harpy feathers – "

"Woah, Lenalee. You've gotta slow down. Catch your breath," Lavi laughed. "I didn't want to bother you guys too much. Just wanted to know if Reever is in?"

She smiled. "You're in luck. He's catching a breather in the storeroom. You should be able to talk without too much trouble."

"Great. Thanks, Lenalee!" He waved at her as she resumed pushing her trolley straight into the source of the explosion.

He reached the storeroom without too much incident, except for Gigi running by shouting for more golden siren hair, and Rob stopping him to test a new mechanism that controls blood lust (Lavi had to disappoint him, since he had drunk not too long ago). When he found Reever's sandy head bent amongst the boxes, furiously scribbling something, he almost felt bad about disturbing him.

"Um…Reever?"

"If this is about Komui, go away. I will not deal with him for another five minutes. If the laboratory is on fire make sure Komui is locked in," Reever said without turning around.

"And if it's a vampire come to suck your blood?"

"Then do me the favour of killing me. Even you wouldn't want to work for Komui for eterni – Lavi?" Reever said in realization.

"The one and only."

Reever took off his spectacles and smiled. "Lavi! It's been a while!"

"And you've managed the miracle of looking less terrible than the last time I saw you."

Reever laughed. "Would you imagine that I actually got five hours sleep last night? Sit down, sit down! What can I do for you?"

Lavi sat on a box which seemed to be balanced enough. Once they were both comfortable he cut straight to the chase. "I need your help. I'm looking for information on two people."

"Human or creature?"

"I would have said human…but I can't be sure, sorry about that."

"Hmm. Names?" Reever said, pen poised on a scrap piece of paper.

"Mana Walker and Nea Walker."

"Siblings?"

"Yeah. I believe they should be in their thirties, in human appearance."

"Anything else you know about them?"

"They went missing around five years ago, from the human world. The Noahs know about them. Allen Walker is their adopted son," Lavi scratched his head. "That's about all."

Reever scribbled down the information Lavi gave. "Missing persons, huh…interesting. I'll see what I can do with the new database. Might be able to find something."

"Awesome, thank you. I'll drop by tomorrow afternoon. Let me know the payment if you've gotten something by then."

"Oh my god, labour, _please_. It's madness around here." Reever's look of well-worn suffering was a piece of art.

Lavi chuckled. "Will do. I'll leave you to it then."

He stepped back into the disaster zone. Green gas was emitting from a room on his right just as he reached the entrance. Just as well that he was leaving.

.

The crows cawed as he passed beneath them and through the open, black gates. The graveyard, with row upon row of tombstones, stretched up a small hill. Each stone was unmarked. It was the sole resting place for the suicide cases and the criminals that the human world had rejected. He counted down the row, then up the column until he stopped at an indistinct tombstone. With respect, he kneeled and touched the tombstone. The crows let out another caw and fluttered away, leaving the graveyard quiet.

"Miranda, I am sorry to disturb you."

The air beside the tombstone was disturbed. It shimmered until he could see the outline of a pale gray woman with wavy hair and a long, mourning dress. "O-oh, it's you, Lavi. Please don't apologize! If there's anything this one can do for you – I mean, if there's anything I can – oh, no, no – " She covered her face and seemed to blush, if ghosts could get embarrassed. She seemed to have never recovered from her social anxiety and depression, even into death.

"Relax, Miranda. You'll be of great help to me, if you wouldn't mind doing this job," Lavi reassured, standing up.

"I wouldn't want to get in your way – "

"You won't." _You'd be hard-pressed to in any case._ "I just need help looking for two people."

"P-people? Not…ghosts?" Miranda looked unsure again.

"No. At least, I don't think so. They might be in the human world, which is why I need your help. You can traverse the worlds, and the ghost network is far vaster than any other creatures'."

Miranda seemed like she wanted to flush again, though this time she seemed a bit calmer. "I will try my best. What are their names?"

"Mana and Nea Walker. Men, siblings, likely their thirties in human appearance."

Miranda whispered their names to herself, as though in a mantra. Lavi dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out something. Miranda looked at him in shy curiosity, breaking her mantra.

"Ah…I thought I'd give my payment, first," Lavi explained, gesturing for her to hold out her hand. She did so, though with a timid air. When Lavi uncurled his fingers she couldn't help her gasp.

"Is…is that…"

The key was black and small, threaded through on a simple chain. Miranda looked like she might cry.

"I got the wizards to cast a spell on it. Not a very difficult one, but it'll serve its purpose. Once it touches your hand, it'll become an item of your world."

"I can have it once more? Truly?" Miranda said, not daring to believe.

In reply, Lavi tilted his hand to one side and let the necklace fall into her hand. The second she held it its form wavered and became only a pale outline to Lavi's eye. Even if Lavi were to touch it, he would not be able to hold it. It was no longer of his world.

"Oh…oh, thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" She cried, tracing it with one hand. "I swear I will do all I can to find Mana and Nea Walker!"

Lavi grinned. "That's more than I can ask for. Swiftest of winds be with you, Miranda."

Miranda reverently placed the necklace around her neck and bowed in rapid succession, murmuring her thanks over and over before her form started to disappear. A wind picked up, blowing Lavi's hair into disarray. He drew his scarf tighter around his neck and left the graveyard.

.

_He was the one sick with the flu this time. Waking from a fever-bright sleep, he looked around the room and found he was alone. There was a glass on the bedside table, and a pitcher of water. He had thought that since he was all of eight years old he wouldn't be getting sick anymore. _

_Sitting up in bed, he took a drink from the glass – it still had some water in it, from before he had fallen asleep. He was sweaty now, and hungry. He wondered if he could find Mana and Nea, to get something to eat. _

_Padding over to his door, he slipped through the gap. Mana had left it slightly open in case he needed to call for them. The doors were all closed, and he couldn't hear anyone in the kitchen. He thought he could hear breathing from behind Mana's door, though._

_Clutching the door knob, he quickly turned it open and said, "Mana, are you – "_

_He froze at the entrance. In the split second before both adults turned to look at him, he was sure he had seen Mana lying on the bed with his hand dangling over the side, and Nea kneeling on the floor, with his mouth on Mana's arm, above his wrist, and…blood…_

_He screamed. _

_When he woke up again, Nea was sitting by him on the bed, smoothing his sweat-slick hair back. Nea cooed at him and said he had been tossing in a particularly violent dream, and that he was okay. But Allen didn't remember anything about the dream. _

.

And when Allen woke up this time in the late afternoon sun, blinking for a long time, he couldn't remember much either, except a vague thought that he had realized something. But what it was, he didn't know.

.

One night before the full moon, Kanda stood unmoving, part of the shadows themselves. The mansion was still dark as night fell. His paws were sure as he took a walk around the perimeter, never breaking from the cover of darkness. At this distance, and with one night to the full, he could hear and see far more clearly than any other night, bar the full moon night. In one of the rooms Road had awoken. He could see where Tyki was speaking with the Earl, though the Earl's face was always in the shadow cast by a fire.

One ear flicked. He turned around, watching a small figure at the very end of the street. It was heading towards the mansion. He narrowed his eyes and could see that it was the bean sprout. Kanda watched him as he took sure steps forward on the empty street. The moon was bright enough to light the path forward.

Tyki seemed to have noticed him, by the way he stood still, looking into the street. Road too as she bound to the window. And soon, all the Noahs in the mansion. They could see him, but Kanda was sure Allen couldn't see them. Likely he would only be able to see the room which had a fire lit. His steps never faltered though.

Tyki said something in the Earl's ear before leaving the room. Kanda waited; sure enough, he was standing outside the front gate just seconds later, waiting for Allen. By now Allen was less than thirty paces away and could see him. He was holding something in his right hand, Kanda noted as Allen walked past.

When Allen stopped, Tyki bowed and said, silky smooth, "Welcome, Allen Walker. What a pleasant surprise."

"Tyki. Thank you for the invite. I'm afraid the Hunter's Moon is busy for all of us, and I wouldn't want to impose on such a night. If the Earl is free, I should like to speak with him tonight."

Kanda itched all over. Everything about the way these two were speaking rubbed him wrong.

Tyki looked amused. "Of course. The Earl awaits your arrival." He half turned, gesturing toward the gate.

Allen nodded and stepped through the gate, followed by Tyki who locked it first before leading the way to the main doors. The door closed – Kanda waited ten beats before he took four giant leaps up the tree and bounded onto the roof, silent as a shadow.


	4. Chapter Four

**Prompt**: Scarf

* * *

The first thing Allen noted about the mansion was how vast it was. He craned his neck, trying to capture all the details. The ceiling was beautifully crafted, painted with a replica of Adam and God, hands outstretched to each other. The spiral staircases, gilded in gold that shone in the lights, led to the mansion's upper storeys. Allen's shoes tapped and echoed on the floor that Tyki was leading him across.

Before he forgot, he slipped the scarf around his neck. Tyki glanced over at the sudden movement and watched as the blood red scarf was secured around Allen's neck. Allen gave him an innocent look in return, hands clasped behind his back after he had finished tying the scarf, looking like his fifteen year old self.

Tyki shook his head in amusement. "How are you feeling, boy?"

"Curious," Allen answered, blunt and to the point. "I do not know what the Earl has to say."

"Relax. The Earl only wants to chat with you. He's been waiting to see you for a long time."

_That so?_ Allen thought with a wry smile. _Because of Mana and Nea? What could he possibly want with me? I have little to offer, and much to gain._

He said nothing to Tyki as they climbed the stairs. Their steps became muffled on the carpeted floor. Tyki took a right turn and led him into a maze of corridors that Allen couldn't possibly hope to remember. He was led past many rooms, most of which had their doors closed. The ones that were left opened revealed nothing beyond the ordinary. A study, a guest bedroom which a young maid – _human or vampire?_ Allen wondered – was cleaning up, and what seemed like a display room. They passed by one more flight of stairs, which would have led to more rooms, or perhaps an attic.

The place was spotlessly clean and lavish, with ornaments that had gone out of time but were gracefully aged. The lights lent a warm glow to the mansion. Yet Allen shivered, feeling out of place. The hair on the back of his neck stood as they walked closer to the Earl's room. To comfort himself Allen toyed with the end of the scarf, worrying its freyed end.

Tyki stopped at a door with rich, warm wood tones. He reached for the knocker and tapped twice before he waited for a response. When the response came Allen didn't hear it. He only knew they were allowed entrance because Tyki had turned to him and said, "The Earl will see you now." He opened the door with a bow, ushering Allen into the room.

Despite himself Allen almost wished Tyki would enter with him. At least he was a familiar face. But he entered by himself, feet sinking into the plush carpet as the door was shut behind him. He took a while to look around. The room's only source of light was the fireplace, and it felt almost too hot despite the autumn chill. The scarf around his neck only made it warmer, but Allen wouldn't remove it. The Earl was sitting near the window, the one which wasn't receiving moonlight at this early time of night. Allen couldn't make out his features, even though he knew the Earl had turned to face him.

"Allen Walker. Welcome to my mansion," he said. It was a young voice – Allen had been expecting him to sound much, much older. It was an almost pleasant voice, if not for the fact that Allen couldn't read anything in his tone.

"Good evening, Earl. I apologize for my early intrusion," Allen said with a bow. _Always give your host the respect he deserves,_ Nea's voice rang in his head with its signature sing-song inflection. Allen straightened after a moment, waiting for the Earl's instructions.

"Sit, sit," the Earl said, waving towards the chair on the other side of the small, round table. Allen walked forward and took the seat, his back straight and only resting lightly against the support. There were two cups of tea on the table, he noted. "Do help yourself, my boy. Make yourself comfortable."

Allen took the cup and stared into its clear depths. It was fragrant, with a whiff of late summer fruits. He took a sip and relished the warmth that ran through his body when he swallowed the tea.

_Don't worry about eating and drinking there. The Night Gods will protect you. And it will be an insult to refuse your host. The Earl is many centuries old. He will uphold the laws of hospitality while you are under his roof, and while it is your first visit._

Silently, Allen thanked Lavi once more. He had been paranoid, almost to the point of wondering whether his food and drink would be poisoned, until Lavi had reassured him. Some laws, arcane though they seemed, followed the night creatures through the centuries.

The Earl sighed as he put down his own cup. "Lulubell chose the tea well, wouldn't you agree?"

"It is a fine choice," Allen agreed, his own cup resting on its saucer.

"Oh Allen. Oh my dear boy, how pleased I am to see you," the Earl said, his smile evident in his voice.

Allen smiled while his insides recoiled. "It is my pleasure as well, Earl. I have heard about you from Road and Tyki."

The Earl chuckled. "You have, haven't you? I wonder what it is they've said."

"Well, Road does complain about the chores you give her. She had even tried to get me on her side. Tyki only comments that you've wanted to see me, though I can only wonder why," Allen said, smile as pleasant as the summer sky.

He laughed, the sound loud in the enclosed room. "Oh Allen, Allen. You cannot fool me. You have your burning questions to ask. Why not ask them? Surely you have come here not without some clues."

Allen kept his smile on. "Tyki have informed me that you have information about my…family. I can only hope you are generous enough to divulge them."

"Ah, yes. Mana and Nea Walker. They're why you're here, isn't it?"

_And the only reason I'm still here_. "Yes, if you'd be kind enough."

The Earl picked up his cup and sipped the tea, slowly. Allen did the same, if only to give himself something to do while he waited it out. There was no clock in this room. It was achingly silent except for them drinking their tea. Once in a few seconds the fire crackled, small embers flying in the air before they died away.

"Where to begin?" The Earl murmured, still holding his cup. He seemed to be staring into it. "Where to begin, my dear boy? There is so much to tell, so little you know. Do tell me first, what you know about Mana and Nea."

_They're my parents. The best father and uncle you can ever find. They love performing. Nea speaks like he's singing. They've sat by me when I was sick. When Mana gets a cold he sounds ridiculous. _

_They abandoned me, just like my birth parents did. _

_I'm starting to forget their faces._

He took a breath and said, "They're brothers. Mana is my adopted father, Nea my uncle. For as long as I could remember, they had been raising me. They picked me up when my parents abandoned me. My earliest memories of them were when I was about three, maybe four. We travelled a lot, performing where we could to earn money. We were a good team of clowns and musicians, I should think. We were together…until I was ten and I couldn't find them anymore. That was when we were in England."

Allen paused for a sip of tea to calm himself before he asked, "Is that what you wanted to know?"

The Earl was silent for a long time, before he sighed and said, "Let me tell you a story, Allen." He placed the cup down, shifted in his seat, and placed his arms on the armrests. He let the silence linger for a while before saying, as though in warning, "You might get impatient, but I beg you to hear me out."

Allen could only nod in response. Satisfied, the Earl began, in a tone eerily similar to when Nea had told him bedtime stories.

"A long time ago, there were still vampires with the old blood. Adam's blood. I was one of them, and I travelled the world for a long time. I sired only those who wanted to become vampires, you must understand. People who sought to join the eternal walk. And we never took more than what we needed. We were at peace with humankind.

"And it is during my travels that I met Nea, your uncle, another of the old blood."

Allen almost didn't dare to breathe. He thought he should be more shocked than this, but all he felt was numb. Like something inside him had already known.

"We were good friends. Brothers. He had a blood brother, born to the same mother, but not of vampire kind. Our blood had already begun to weaken by the time we met, oh, it must have been half a millennium ago. His brother, as you must have already guessed, is Mana."

"Mana…" Allen whispered, interrupting the Earl. "Mana is human? But that can't be. He was…he's my father – "

"Yes, the same Mana. The one who followed Nea in his travels, and the one who raised you. It's the same Mana. And there's only one way Mana could have been alive all these years," the Earl said, almost gently.

"Nea…Nea turned him?" Allen said through his haze of confusion.

The Earl kept silent for a while before he resumed. "During our travels, and while meeting all sorts of people, seeing every place and beauty imaginable, once a week – just once a week – Nea and Mana would hide away. Once, I wondered what they were doing and followed them. They were usually in a secluded spot, maybe in some forest, or in a hotel room. When I managed to find them that one time, Nea had his fangs on Mana's arm, drinking – he had been feeding on Mana, Allen."

A dream – or was it a memory? – pieced itself together in his memory, painful in its intensity. Allen was back in a room on a cold February morning, with the sharp tang of blood in the air, frozen as he watched his father rest while his uncle took his life force without struggle. He could hear his own scream –

"Mana was Nea's feed," Allen whispered in the too-hot room.

"Aye. And that was when I first found out about feeds. Nea knew about it far before any of us did. If a vampire were to find a human, willing to give up mortality, but unwilling to become one of vampire kind, he or she could become a feed. The vampire only feeds on them instead of taking blood from strangers. I can imagine Mana did it out of love for Nea, and because his blood was compatible to Nea's needs."

A month ago, Allen wouldn't have believed any of this. Vampires, Arkham – all of it. Now what the Earl had said only seemed to settle in his mind, giving a strange sort of relief, filling a gap Allen had been aching to fill, though he hadn't known what with.

The Earl continued after draining his cup. "It was like a new chapter for cooperation between humans and vampires, I thought. Of course, it couldn't be broadcasted so openly. We only spoke of it with the humans we had become close with, and those who dreamt of immortality. We had been doing so well, too. Some of my kin found their feeds and lived a comfortable life.

"But this was only until the witch burnings began. It was a terrible time for all of the night creatures, not just the witches. Witches were the most heavily persecuted, of course. But any sign of the supernatural was condemned. There was a careless vampire who was feeding, and who a villager stumbled upon. It was enough to confirm our existence. One vampire could be strong, but when faced against five hundred villagers in daylight – " the Earl shook his head – "he lost. They've used our age old enemy, silver, and how well it worked too. And the villagers killed his feed, whom they saw as cooperating with the devil.

"It was the end of harmony between humans and us. We had to flee, along with many of the night creatures. That was when Arkham was founded, by us and those who came with us, in a land still protected by the Night Gods. Nea and Mana were part of the first residents of Arkham as well."

The Earl gave a long, tired sigh then, and sunk back into his seat. Allen waited, absorbed despite himself. The flood of memories that the Earl's stories had triggered had calmed down, but there was still more to know. Why had Nea and Mana left Arkham? Why did they pick him up – out of charity, or out of love? Had they ever told him about any of this –

_They did_, Allen realized with a pang in his heart. They had made Arkham his lullaby, his childhood stories of growth and laughter.

The Earl poured fresh cups of tea for both of them. "Of course, it wasn't easy at first. Night creatures rarely had a sense of economy, and of how to interact with other creatures. Which is why laws were set, and why barter still remains till now. Coin is a foreign entity to most of the creatures. But favours, honour, and items were not. Humans lived here too, those who thrived in a community such as ours, or who had things they wanted to accomplish.

"But soon, Nea and I had different…ideas, of how we should treat humans. You see, not all humans who came wanted amiable relations. Some of them came specifically to hunt us, driven by revenge or some notion of justice. The laws of Protection grant them a month of immunity, which is when most of them would attempt violence on us. And which is why after the month, if they fail, they either flee or have to make an Alliance, lest they are torn apart.

"We are stronger now. We've rebuilt our strength from our earlier loss. Our kin tires of the same land after so many centuries, and it is time for the residents of Arkham to explore the vast world once more. To do that, we need to ensure our safety, against humans and those who wish to persecute us. Some who have ventured outside hide themselves in obscurity. It is not the way we should live. Not the way anyone should live," the Earl said, sounding agitated, even angry. Allen didn't flinch when the Earl turned his gaze on him. Allen could only see the faint glimmer of his eyes.

"Nea disagreed," the Earl said softly. "We fought over this. How we fought. He was my companion, my brother. But he loved humans too much. He had even picked up a child, abandoned at the gates of Arkham, not even a month old."

Allen bit his lip so hard he thought he might bleed.

"Eventually, Nea thought up a plan to stop me. He used magic. Very, very old magic. The most ancient form of blood magic. Magic that could kill, if not wielded properly. But Nea had always been good at it and…he succeeded. He placed a curse in my body, and then he fled, taking you and Mana with him. And now…here we are. You've made your way back to Arkham."

It sounded horribly unreal. Yet too impossible to dismiss. Allen forced himself to take calming breaths. He didn't know what to say, but the Earl didn't seem to expect him to say anything. He seemed to be watching him, waiting for something. Allen observed, head too full to be afraid, as the Earl reached towards him with one hand, only stopping when his fingers brushed the cloth of the scarf.

"Somebody has placed a protection on you," he whispered. "This is not the work of the Night Gods."

Allen didn't move. He was safe, the rational side of him knew. "Blood protection," he said, glad that his voice was strong.

"Ah," the Earl said in understanding. "That vampire friend of yours."

"Yes," Allen agreed, seeing no point in lying.

_And how I had reamed him for it, _Allen thought with a mixture of gratitude and exasperation. Seeing a new cut on Lavi's finger hadn't done anything for his frazzled nerves that afternoon. Having the scarf passed to him had puzzled him, until Lavi had explained that his blood was on the scarf. An extra protection, Lavi had said.

"He's overly cautious, your friend. I will not harm you. Nor do I wish to," the Earl assured as he sat back in his seat.

"I will inform him of that." _And he will never believe it._ "But what is it…that you wish of me, Earl? You said you have information, and I'm grateful for that. But I do not know what you would like in exchange."

"Oh, it is something only you can offer, my dear boy."

The Earl stood up. He was still hidden in shadow, but Allen's eyes had adjusted, and he could see him move to the corner of the room. With a flick of a switch bright light flooded the room, making Allen wince and shut his eyes for a moment.

When he managed to open his eyes, he took his first good look at the Earl. The Earl stood straight with strong legs. Allen's eyes traced upwards, past the broad chest and the smooth chin, to see pupils that were constricted. _Cat eyes_, Allen thought as he examined the Earl's young, handsome face. He had brown hair that was slicked back, revealing a masculine face with a square jaw.

"You don't seem surprised," the Earl remarked.

Allen shook his head. "I didn't know I'm supposed to be."

The Earl nodded, accepting the answer. Looking out the window, he sighed and said, "I'm getting younger every day, m'boy. That's the curse your uncle had placed on me. Soon, I will be a teenager, a child, a baby…and then no more."

Allen sucked in a breath in shock. He hadn't heard of anything like that before. "I'm…sorry for that. But I do not know what I can do," he said, carefully choosing his words.

The Earl seemed to ponder for a while before he made a decision. He turned his gaze from the window to Allen. "There is something to unlock the curse. A difficult solution, which Nea knew, and which he had hidden. I've been looking for a long time. And it is with you, Allen."

Allen's eyes widened. Since when have he been handling something so dangerous? "If you mean the things Mana and Nea left behind – they're only some books and maps, I'm afraid."

A chuckle escaped the Earl. "Nay, you're mistaken. It's something far more primal, integral in your very self."

"But – Mana and Nea never passed me any such item, or solution. At least, I don't think they did," Allen insisted.

"Aye, but they did," the Earl said with a slow, small smile.

"It is your blood, Allen. Your blood is the very thing I need, the only thing that can break the curse."

.

If Marie and Krory had been surprised to see him, they didn't show it. Lavi had picked up what he needed to do quickly, leaving no unsatisfied customer in the crowded bar. The moon had started out strong in the early night. But the night had become darker, almost a suffocating black despite the moon. She disappeared and reappeared among clouds, leaving the flame lamps the only steady source of light. Perhaps it was this darkness that drove the night creatures here as well, Lavi thought as he serve up another blood cocktail. Old magic was at work as the Hunter's Moon approached.

The tinkling of the bell drew his attention to the door. He smiled at the new customer. "Lenalee, over here!"

Lenalee glided over. Several sirens eyed her with jealousy – she had one of the more beautiful voices among her kind. She shook her head when Lavi made a show of kissing her hand. "I was hoping to see Allen. I get you instead," she said when he lifted his head.

"Why, my lady! You've been hanging out too long around Allen. You've even picked up his sarcasm." Lavi feigned hurt until Lenalee's smile turned into a grin. He gently let go of her hand and started mixing up the honey and lemon for her. "Why did you want to see Allen anyway?"

"It's one night to the moon," Lenalee said. It was all the explanation needed.

"Ah," Lavi nodded sagely. "I think Allen is harbouring deep hate for all of us now. You're not the first to hound him about it."

Lenalee looked a little abashed. "Perhaps we've been laying it on a bit thick…how is he?"

Lavi hummed and finished mixing up her drink, one ear out for the additional orders. "He's out tonight…the Earl invited him to his mansion."

"What?" Her eyes were wide with incredulity. Lavi winced at the look she shot him. "The Noahs? What would they want with him?"

"A possible Alliance. But Allen knows not to accept. I've made sure of that," he added a bit defensively.

Lenalee accepted the drink but didn't make a move to drink it. She eyed Lavi's finger. "You're injured," she stated with worry.

"On purpose. Just in case! Only just in case," he quickly said when she looked like she was about to deliver a tongue lashing. And one from a siren was bound to be painful. "Blood protection is the only thing I can offer for now. Allen will come back safe, don't worry."

She sighed and stirred the drink. "Both of you are impossible, I swear."

"Why do I get a feeling you're not referring to Allen?" he observed.

A frown didn't suit her, Lavi thought. She took a mouthful of the drink and swallowed before confirming his suspicion. "Kanda. He's going up against the hunters, isn't he?" She sounded resigned.

"Perhaps. Kanda knows what he's doing, Lenalee. He's scouting for me tonight, anyway. So you don't have to worry until later," Lavi said, knowing it was pointless to tell her to stop worrying. It was in her nature. "Cheer up a little. I'll tell Allen to see you after he comes back. Kanda too, if I see him. Now, tell me what Komui's up to."

A different sort of resignation took over her features then. It was mixed with plenty of exasperation, and a little fondness. "You know brother. Trying to save the world, and all that – "

Lavi allowed himself to indulge in the conversation, as well as the rush of _Luna_ that kept him almost too busy to wonder how Allen was doing in the mansion. It was a dark night, too dark for Lavi's liking. Apparently Lenalee's too, if she had chosen to seek out the lights of _Luna_ and the reassurance that her friends were alright.

.

"My blood," Allen said after a long silence.

The Earl nodded, his eyes betraying nothing. Allen waited a beat before he asked, "And what will you offer me, in return? Simply information about Mana and Nea?"

His lips curled in amusement. "You've gotten sharper, my dear boy. It must be the influence of your information broker."

"Arkham deals in exchanges. I suppose my blood must fetch a high price, if it is the key to your salvation," Allen explained in a cool tone. He crossed his arms to prevent any insecurity from showing. _Pretend you're at the poker table,_ he told himself, keeping a steady gaze on the Earl. _He is your opponent, but you have a royal flush._

The Earl kept his smile on, though he didn't look very friendly. "Indeed, my dear boy, indeed. Let's cover the terms, first. For your blood, I offer you our protection, of course. An Alliance with the Noahs can be very helpful, as you well know. We have power other species do not dare challenge."

"But that is only helpful if I choose to stay. You cannot do anything if I choose to leave tonight," Allen countered.

"Ah, yes. There is that," the Earl admitted. "But that is only the first of my terms. You see, you've come here because Tyki said I have information, didn't you?"

There was no way to deny that. Allen offered a tight nod.

"And a story, however fond I am of telling it, is history. Not information," the Earl mused. "I can give you one now, for free. Without your Alliance, and without your blood."

Allen forced himself to keep breathing. _See this as your advantage. He's showing part of his hand._

"Mana and Nea Walker are alive, boy."

Allen kept his cool, even while he thought he might slump with relief. It was one of his doubts addressed. "How do you know that?" he had to ask, to put the fear to rest.

"He cursed me, m'boy. Not that the curse would lift were Nea to die, but I would know. We're connected through blood now."

_But that only – _"So how would you know Mana is alive?"

"Ah, yes. How would I?" There was a teasing edge to the Earl's smile. "I'm afraid that's where the gifts run out. What would you offer me in exchange for this knowledge?"

It wasn't unexpected for him to demand something in return, Allen thought as he mulled over his options. Lavi had warned him against rushing into an Alliance, and he wouldn't offer that. Yet the Earl need not have that assurance, he only needed… "If I promise not to make an Alliance with other species, even when my Protection runs out?" he stated clearly, heart beating fast.

"Meaning, even if you do not make an Alliance with us, you will not seek the protection of other species," the Earl said, as though to himself. "You're putting your life at risk, boy."

"I can protect myself," Allen said with a smile. _And you will not let me die in any case._

The Earl smiled. It was the smile a cat had when toying with a mouse. "I will take your word for it. The Night Gods take promises very seriously. Well then, the reason I know Mana is alive as well – they are in Arkham."

They were right under Allen's nose all the time. Allen clutched his arms in a vice grip. "You have seen them?"

He chuckled, though Allen didn't see what was funny about what he had said. "Oh, certainly. You can bet I've seen them."

Allen felt something clench in his stomach, a fear he had no reason for. It was then he realized the Earl had trapped him in Arkham. He couldn't leave now that he knew Mana and Nea were here. The Earl had shown part of his hand, but he had restricted Allen's.

"You've given me good information, Earl. Yet there's nothing stopping me from walking out and looking for them by myself. I do not need to form an Alliance with you, and all I have to do is not form an Alliance with somebody else," Allen pointed out. "The odds are not in your favour, I should think."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow in arch amusement. "Well then, I have one more piece of information for you, and this one I'll give for free. You see, my dear Allen, even if you do find them – you will not be able to retrieve them."

_They're not dead,_ Allen reminded himself as the fear coiled tighter. _They're not dead, they're in Arkham, but I cannot retrieve them – they're trapped in some way. Some way that the Earl knows about. Either by some sort of authority, or – _

"You have them," Allen breathed out, a sick, cold shudder running down his back.

When the Earl smiled without saying anything, Allen knew it wasn't that the Earl had shown his hand – it was that Allen had been forced to abandon his.

The Earl looked out the window and remarked, "It will be a beautiful Hunter's Moon tomorrow. Think wisely, boy. You may find me any time when you've made your decision. But I do hope to hear from you by the Snow Moon."

_Or something might happen to them,_ Allen concluded for him, curiously numb.

"Tyki will walk you out. Do have a good evening, won't you?" The Earl said in a pleasant tone, as though they were friends parting after a meal.

.

Lavi had expected to rush to the usual spot to see Kanda after work. And hopefully to catch Allen after that, to see what the Earl had to say.

What he didn't expect was Allen standing outside the back door, in the same corner Lavi had hidden in the night before.

"Al!" He exclaimed in obvious relief. He quickly locked the door and turned around, smile falling a little when he realized Allen hadn't stepped out. "I didn't realize you were attracted to the dumpster smell," he tried to joke.

Silence greeted him. Lavi let his smile fall off. "Al?" he tried, in as gentle a tone as he knew.

Allen shifted and finally walked around the dustbin, his face a careful blank. Lavi willed himself to not panic. Allen was back and safe. Anything else they could figure out along the way. He reached out for Allen's hand and held it, worried when Allen didn't attempt to escape or even react to his touch. "Let's get you home, okay?"

He had to wait for a while before Allen nodded in a frighteningly mechanical motion. Lavi wasted no time leading them out of the alley into the main street. He caught a flicker of a shadow at the corner – _Kanda_ – and nodded when the wolf caught his gaze. Kanda slinked off without Allen having caught any bit of their exchange.

The walk had never felt longer. Where they usually would have wiled the time away talking, Allen was quiet today. Lavi wondered what it was the Earl had said that would have caused Allen to withdraw so much into his shell. His hand might be warm, but he might as well be a block of ice for all his lack of response. His left hand was clutched tight on the end of the scarf Lavi had loaned him.

When they reached the door of the apartment Lavi took over opening it, since he was still holding onto the ring of keys. It took the door shutting behind them for Allen to tug his hand out of Lavi's so he could wander over to the couch to sit.

"Talk to me, Al," Lavi coaxed. He hung the key ring up and settled onto the couch next to Allen, slinging one arm around the back to support Allen's neck.

After that it was a patience game. He watched, and waited, while the sky outside slowly, very slowly, gave way to a grayer shade. The dark night was passing. It was only when the black was fading out that Allen said, tonelessly, "The Earl has Mana and Nea. I have the information I wanted."

_So that's what the night was telling me,_ Lavi thought, somber. "You made a deal," he stated.

Allen nodded. "Not an Alliance. But I made a deal – to not make an Alliance."

"You didn't have a choice," Lavi agreed, far from condemning Allen's choice. The conclusion Allen had given was enough for Lavi to guess how the conversation had taken place. "You agreed before you knew he had them, didn't you?"

Allen finally looked at him with a haunted gaze. "They were here all along, Lavi. Maybe before I've even arrived at Arkham. Or after?" He shook his head. "I don't know. Did they come here because I'm here, and then they were caught? Or have they been here since five years ago – "

"Shh," Lavi hushed, "stop that. You wouldn't know. But now you know they're alive, they're here, and you have a chance at reuniting with them. That's more than we started with, isn't it?"

Allen hunched down, his arms crossed, elbows resting on his knees. "You're right. You're right. I'm sorry – " his head bucked down, his eyes staring at the floor between his feet – "I don't know what – I can't – not now, I can't – "

_There's more to this,_ Lavi bleakly realized. He had never felt so helpless. "Allen…Al…"

Allen looked at him but didn't seem to see him. His gaze was beyond Lavi, beyond the room – beyond this moment in his living room. He was trapped in his own thoughts.

Carefully, Lavi turned Allen around and folded his arms around him. Allen didn't move on his own accord, leaving a huge gap between them and their knees bumping. Then Allen seemed to crumble and curl into Lavi, leaving Lavi to support his weight.

But he never cried. He only held onto the scarf and, minutes later, he fell into a deep sleep.

.

_He had turned nine when he dreamt about some place he had never seen before. _

_In his dream he understood everything that he saw and that was said around him, though he couldn't move much. And when he opened his mouth he could only make noises that even he didn't understand. It was cold, so cold in his dream. The world was white around him and there were so many noises he couldn't understand. There were some things with very large eyes that stared down at him, or things that tickled him. He made noises, and finally he bawled until there was a very long shadow over him. _

"_Nea, over here!" _

_He was picked up, he realized, and cradled against a warm chest. He couldn't stop crying though. It hurt a lot, and he was cold, still so cold. _

"_Abandoned, seems like," said a different voice. A finger touched his cheek. He tried to chase it, even though the finger was cold, too. "A month old. Two, at most. Oh, there, there," the voice soothed when he took a breath to make another bawl. "You're safe now. This brute won't drop you, don't you worry." _

_The first voice laughed. He could feel the rumble against his small body, which quieted him down some. "That brute over there is right, though. You're safe now, little one. We'll get you someplace warm." _

"_Come on, Mana. Let me hold him for a bit. Obviously you're not holding him right. He's still crying," the second voice said. He sounded like a song. _

"_You could just say you're jealous. Here, careful…oh, look, he opened his eyes. That's not fair," the first voice said as he was passed to the second person. He saw a white world, before he saw two golden eyes looking down at him. He was still sniffling. A second head joined the first, and this time he could see two brown eyes. "Hello, little one. Nice to meet you," the first voice said with a smile he liked. _

_He hiccupped, looking between two faces. The one with golden eyes was smiling at him too. "I think I have the magic touch." _

_The other man scoffed. "Don't dream about it. I call dibs on father. You'll be the uncle." _

"_What, why?" The man holding him said as they moved off. The gate he had been lying against was getting further and further. "I was the one who managed to stop him crying." _

"_I found him," the other man said smugly. "What should we name him?" _

"_Don't you dare think the argument's done with. His name, hmm…we'll decide later. Something suitable for this child…" _

_The last thing he remembered was the white world above the man's shoulder, before he closed his eyes and he woke up as his nine year old self once more. _


	5. Chapter Five

**Prompt**: Music

* * *

There was no way to tell time in this place. Soft light shone through the windows of the small cottage; outside, it was a sea of grass. There was a tree not too far from the house. Its leaves swayed in the wind, but its branches were strong enough to support the weight of a man. There was no other house to see for miles, and few animals too. It was quiet except for the whistle of the wind as it cut through the grass.

And when night fell the darkness was as soft as the light. The sky was a hazy mist of dark blue, the stars faint halos of light through the mist. Sometimes the wind would slip away and all would be still, the cottage, the grass, the trees. There was no moon in this world.

It was peaceful, it was quiet. He couldn't remember – he thought he might have had a life before, he and his brother, but he couldn't imagine a life before this one.

The grass being rustled alerted him to the presence of his brother. He smiled and didn't turn around as the rustles got closer and closer.

"Nea," his brother groaned when he could see him. "Are you a squirrel or something? Do you have some fatal attraction to this tree I should know of? Should I protect its honour?"

"Jealousy doesn't become you, brother dearest," Nea sang, grinning down at him. Mana's lips were twitching. "Now, don't you come scrambling up. It cannot suffer your weight."

"Must be a miracle that it's still standing then, after all the times you've imposed yourself on it," Mana retorted.

Nea stroked the trunk of the tree in a loving manner. "This darling here is loyal to me – oh, brother, don't you go falling down. The ground might crack, and then where would we be?"

"With any luck it'll be big enough to fit you. Then we'd be less one annoying person," Mana grunted as he awkwardly scaled the tree and settled on the branch below Nea's. Nea shook his head in fondness. He had always been the climber of the family, though Mana was far more nimble on the ground. Mana had had no choice but to learn how to climb the tree, if he ever wanted to retrieve Nea from there. He could hear Mana quietly curse as something snagged his leg, before he seemed to find a comfortable spot.

For a while the two brothers stared out into the sea of green, contented to share the silence in a world of misty dark blue. For as long as he could remember he had been living in this cottage with Mana, comfortable, not wanting for anything. And he still didn't want for anything. But he had been wondering, and thinking a lot. He played the piano in their cottage while he thought, and the tunes changed with what he would be thinking at the time.

"It feels like we've been here forever," Mana said quietly. He had a small smile on his face as he looked up at Nea. "And it feels like we'll be here forever more."

"Aye," Nea whispered, not disliking the thought of spending forever in this place. "Where else would we be?"

The wind blew, and some leaves broke loose from above them. Nea watched as they floated down, and as Mana reached out to catch one of them. He twirled the leaf around, examining its veins. He kept his gaze on it as he said, "Sometimes I see myself as a…"

Nea waited until his curiosity couldn't be contained. "As a?"

"…as a clown. Not a metaphorical one, but really a clown. With a big red nose, and those painted lips, huge clothes – like one of those mother took us to see, when we were young. Except this time it's me performing. And you're there too, in the dream. You're the musician. And – " he faltered, an unsure look on his face – "there is another with us. Somebody smaller. Younger, maybe. And there was snow around us as we performed and played…"

Mana scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Sorry. You must think it's a strange dream."

"No," Nea said in reply, gazing out at the grass. "No, it's…it sounds familiar…who is that figure, you think? The smaller one?"

Mana thought for a while before he shook his head. "I don't know. But he didn't feel like a stranger. I felt like…I felt like I've known him all my life."

Nea nodded. He swept his hand over the branch he was sitting on, feeling the scratch of bark on his hand. He thought a while over what Mana had said. "Do you ever feel like you want to leave this place, Mana?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"Sometimes. Sometimes, yeah, I'd think of going away," Mana said wistfully. "But where would we go? And every time I think of that, I'd feel so – tired, I suppose. Haven't we been travelling for so long before this? Before here?"

Nea knew the feeling of the bone deep tire. He knew what Mana was saying, and he tried to recall if they had travelled. If that was the world he thought he'd shared with Mana before this. "I don't know. Maybe. But it feels like we've been here so long. I can't remember what we did before, if we did travel. Do you remember?"

Mana let the leaf flutter to the grass and admitted, "No. It's been you and me and the cottage as long as I've remembered."

_So why this ache? This…nostalgia?_ Nea's mind whispered. Out loud, he said, "That boy in your dreams. I think I've seen him too, in some of my dreams."

"What're your dreams like?" Mana asked in open curiosity.

Nea closed his eyes. "I don't remember a lot of it. But it's very white. Snow, I think, like your dream. It's cold. And we are running. From something, possibly. The boy is very small, not big enough to perform with us. But I think he's the same boy. I feel like I've known him all my life, too."

A headache started to build as he tried to capture the form of the boy, a smile, the shape of the eyes – anything. The dull ache started from the back, until it spread and Nea grabbed his head, gritting his teeth. Below him Mana called his name in alarm.

"I'm fine!" he gasped out, forcing his eyes to open. He was swaying dangerously on his perch. He leapt down from his branch, landing on a crouch in the grass. The world swam and blurred before his eyes when he had landed, making him close his eyes again. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll go back in," he said when he heard Mana crouch down beside him. He reached out a hand blindly and felt Mana grasp it, a firm anchor against the sharp bursts within his head. He pulled Mana closer and pressed his forehead into his brother's shoulder, gasping from the pain.

Mana reached a shaky hand up to stroke and cradle his brother's head, like the rare times he had done in their childhood when Nea had sought comfort from him. Nea had always been mature and reticent, far too grown-up for a child. Incidents like this were few and far in between. And when it did happen…it scared Mana. His brother never showed weakness if he could. He murmured nonsensical words of comfort into Nea's ear, unsure how he could help.

Nea's shoulders eventually stopped shaking, though his face was still screwed in pain. His skin was cooler than ever. As gently as he could, Mana lifted Nea up, heart breaking a little when Nea groaned in pain. It was the fastest way he could think of to get Nea into the cottage.

"Please bear with it. We'll be there soon, I promise," Mana whispered. Nea burrowed back into Mana's shoulder, but he couldn't stop a small, sharp scream of pain when Mana's steps jostled him. The pain had come back with a vengeance, enveloping his senses. He wanted it to stop. He hadn't felt such terrible pain since…

Since…

Since too long ago. Far, far before he and Mana spent their days here, walking, talking, resting.

Resting from what?

He couldn't stop the pain from overtaking him. Before he blacked out he heard a little laugh in his head and saw a pair of bright, blue-gray eyes peering at him.

.

Road's eyes fluttered open. She was ensconced in a deep, red couch in the lounge. Across from her Sheryl was reading a book, and Lulubell was writing at the desk. Road took her time stretching before saying, "He's starting to remember."

Sheryl looked up and snapped his book close. "Is he? That's remarkable. But my Road is far too strong for him, for that pesky little traitor," he cooed. Road sent a sweet smile his way to appease him.

Lulubell looked up as well, her face expressionless. "Why would he begin to remember?" She asked, her voice betraying nothing of her emotions.

Road shrugged. "Maybe 'cos Allen was here just now. They're sorta tied by blood after all." _And Nea is not as weak as Sheryl thinks. He might break the dreamscape if I'm not careful. _"I'm gonna go down and check on 'em."

Sheryl placed his book down. "I'll come with you," he insisted.

Road shook her head and smiled. "No, it's okay, daddy dearest." Sheryl seemed like he was about to faint from sheer happiness. "I'd rather you relax here while I go on my walk, mmkay?"

"But…" Sheryl tried to protest again. Road pouted. "Oh, of course, whatever my darling daughter wants!" he exclaimed at the sight of her face.

Lulubell didn't make any response, not even to roll her eyes. She just kept writing whatever it was as Road skipped out the door and Sheryl looked after her with adoring eyes.

Nobody disturbed Road as she made her way down to the ground floor and along the corridor. There was a small room at the end of one branch, in the east end of the mansion. Its door was indistinct and opened to what seemed like a windowless storeroom. Road closed the door behind her, at ease in the darkness. She headed straight to the far corner, unblocked by the storage items. It seemed like a plain slab of wall, but when she placed her hand on it the wall twisted and shimmered, leaving a hole big enough for her to slip through.

The stairs weren't steep, but they led far underground, and they didn't have any light to guide the way. Road skipped down them with confidence, taking the turns with ease and even running down some of the stairs until she could see the room at the end of the stairs. The stairs at the end glimmered from the only source of light in the place. Her red shoes shone as she stepped into the room, eyes constricting in response to the light.

It was simply furnished compared to the rest of the mansion. A fire flickered at one end near one of the beds. Small slits gave ventilation in the otherwise stuffy room. Road stopped at the threshold and just watched the room for a while. Then she went up the middle of both beds and checked the one nearer the fire first. The man on it breathed deep and slow, his face pale even in the firelight. His beard needed trimming, and he was thinner than when he had first arrived. The drip in his arm kept him alive.

But it wasn't this man Road was interested in. She looked away from him and stared intently into the face of the other man, who lay still and cold as death on his bed. Like the other man he had a drip in his arm, only his contained blood from his feed. His face was smooth, peaceful as though he were in deep, dreamless sleep. Even Road would have believed so, had she not known the agony he had been in, in her beautiful, carefully constructed world. She touched his cheek, his forehead. Smoothened out his hair, though there was nothing in the room to disturb it.

"Nea – oh, Nea. Did Allen being here affect you so much?" She asked. Nea belonged to the supernatural world, she should have known he would have reacted to Allen's presence. It made her angry, and sad. "Do you miss him? Even more than you miss us?"

There was only the sound of the fire crackling, and the faint whisper of air through the vents.

In a way, she was glad Nea couldn't respond. She knew what he would say. How he had chosen, and how he would choose again should he escape the dream.

.

Waking up in hazy warmth wasn't unfamiliar to him. Floating up from a dream where he had been cradled against a warm chest helped to make the transition as well. He seemed to drift between sleep and the world, too comfortable to fully wake, yet alert enough that he couldn't sink back into dreams. He shifted and felt the unfamiliar material beneath him. It wasn't his bed, he noted dully. It was a bit bony, not something that yielded at his touch. But it was firm in a nice way, and warm.

He blinked, taking his time to transit. _That's my kitchen,_ he thought. _I'm not supposed to see my kitchen in my room._

"Allen?" A voice asked very softly, like it was trying to not disturb him.

_Lavi doesn't sleep over in my room, either. And he sounds strange. He sounds like he's speaking from under me._

"Lavi?" He managed to croak. He swallowed and blinked several more times.

"How're you feeling, Al?" Lavi asked. It took a while for Allen to realize he sounded like he was speaking from under him, because Allen _was_ lying on him.

"Oh." He tried to sit up. It took a bit of maneuvering (and Lavi being jabbed in the stomach) but he managed. "Sorry. Wha – what time is it?"

"About noon, I think. You've slept a couple hours." Lavi sat up a little as well, not too much or he might end up pushing Allen off the couch. "How d'you feel?" he asked again.

Allen blinked, still dazed. He tried to focus on the rim of light around his kitchen curtains. He didn't know what he was feeling. He answered as honestly as he could. "Hungry."

On cue, his stomach growled. Lavi smiled – he was starting to sound like the Allen he knew. "Well, hungry's good. Up to cooking? Or shall we eat out?"

"Out. I need to – " he gestured in the direction of his room.

"Right, go ahead. Wash up. I'll wait here."

Allen nodded and stood up, taking a moment to deal with the rush of blood to his head. He walked off to his room, absent-mindedly tugging out the creases on his shirt along the way. Only after he had shut his door did he realize one hand was still toying with Lavi's scarf. He unwound that first and shivered at the contact of cool air on skin.

.

Allen had on Lavi's scarf even after he'd washed up and changed. Lavi didn't comment – much.

"It's a good colour on you," he said with approval.

Before Allen could apologize, or scowl, or unwind the scarf to give it back to him, Lavi took the liberty of unlocking his door and breathing in the fresh autumn air. It was one of the rare sunny days Arkham had.

"Where to?" he asked after Allen had exited the flat as well.

Allen didn't have to think. "_Jeryy's_."

"Oooh, _Jeryy's_. I've wanted to try his new pancakes for a while now." Lavi rubbed his palms together in anticipation.

"Remind me how you're a vampire?" Allen asked with a hint of a smile.

"Just because blood sustains me doesn't mean I can't appreciate good, human food," Lavi sniffed. "Unlike ghouls, I actually have taste."

"So says the man who said bittergourd is sweet."

"Hey!" Lavi flailed his arms around, nearly knocking Allen down the steps. He grinned sheepishly when Allen glared. "Sorry. But blood tastes bitter. Then after a while it just kind of tastes salty _and_ sweet. Not my fault."

"Of course," Allen muttered, and started wondering how blood tasted. It was all metallic to him, the times when he bit his lip till it bled, or when he popped a pricked finger into his mouth. He couldn't see how it was pleasant.

When they reached street level Lavi stopped him from turning right. "Let's take that warg. She owes me a favour." He pointed out the warg one street down, at the twisted lamp post with its green light.

"Is there anyone who _doesn't_ owe you a favour?" Allen questioned as they walked down to the warg, who had her eyes closed and who didn't seem to notice their advance. "And what did you do for this warg?"

Lavi looked back and grinned. "For your first question…nope, can't think of any! Hey, I've lived two hundred years – "

"As you keep reminding me."

" – so yeah, I've done more exchanges than I can count. As for your second question, I helped her find her sister in the wilderness faaaaar from Arkham. Isn't that right, Cho?"

Lavi pulled the rope. When Allen had entered Arkham Lenalee had used a warg too, so he wasn't fazed at the growl that the green flamp emitted. The warg – Cho – blinked open an eye. Then the other. "Hey, if it isn't Lavi!" she exclaimed. She had a higher voice than the first warg Allen had ridden.

"Hey, Cho! How ya doin'?"

"Good, good!" Her tail started wagging. "_You_ look like you've seen better days!"

Lavi laughed. "Ah well, you know. Been busy. This is Allen, by the by."

"How do you do?" Allen said with a hesitant smile.

"Ooooh, polite too! I like him," Cho winked at Lavi. "Lemme guess, you're calling in on your favour, right? So where to today?"

"_Jeryy's,_ please," Allen answered since Lavi seemed busy climbing onto Cho's back.

"Oh, _Jeryy's_!" Allen wondered if her default mode was excited. "Sure, sure! Hop on!"

Lavi held his hand out to help Allen up. "Careful. Cho's a bit more sensitive to fur pulling."

"You would be too if you had those goblins climb onto your back! No notion of gentleness there, _harrumph_. All settled?"

"Yeah," Allen said, having managed to pull himself up with minimal fur pulling. He looked around at all the fur around him, wondering where best to hold. He settled for placing his palms flat in front of him.

"Alright. Here we goooo!"

.

"You've never told me Cho likes taking the narrow streets. And sharp corners," Allen said in a shaky voice.

"I hadn't realized," Lavi replied, seeming equally shaken.

Cho had settled down at the nearest, empty twisted lamp post, looking very proud of herself. Her tail was thumping the ground as she rested.

"Enough adventure for one day," Allen declared, pushing open the door to _Jeryy's_.

The place was fairly busy with humans having their lunch. He scanned the restaurant and spotted a two-seater by the window, near the corner. They passed by a group of Komui's scientists along the way, who seemed to be eating as though their lives depended on it. Lavi was the only non-human there – as usual, most creatures didn't venture to try human food.

"Comin' through, comin' through – oh, Allen! Oh, and you too, Lavi," a young boy said. He had roller blades on and a pair of goggles on his head, and an enormous grin. An apron and a notepad completed his outfit.

"What do you mean, 'you too'?" Lavi looked very offended. "Jean, come closer, why don't you?"

Jean laughed and ducked Lavi's arm. "Good to see you guys! Allen, your usual? It'll take, like, twenty minutes."

"Yes, thank you, Jean," Allen grinned. "How're you? And your father?"

"Jeryy's slave driving me! But it's good, life's good," he quickly added at Allen's stern look. "I'm working hard and all! As for Pops – you see that table?"

Allen and Lavi followed the direction he had pointed his pen at. It was the table of scientists they had passed.

"…yes?" Allen said, not quite sure what he was asking.

"You see him there?"

"…no?" Lavi said this time, wondering whether he should edge back from the growing anger on the boy's face.

"Exactly! He's been holing himself up in that lab, though I swear I saw Tapp and Johnny, and even Reever here once! _Reever_, here! I swear Pops is living off instant noodles, though he denies it," Jean growled.

"That _is_ serious," Lavi concurred.

Allen looked scandalized at the thought of anybody living off instant noodles. "Scold him well," he advised.

"Oooh, you bet I will. Okay, I gotta scoot with the orders. Whaddaya want, Lavi?"

"Oh, get me some of the new pancakes. Like, enough for five people."

"Oi, you sure you're a vamp?" Jean said as he scribbled down the order. "Whatever though. See you guys later!" He zoomed away on his roller blades to the order window, shouting "Allen's here!" through it. The whole restaurant heard a happy squeal in response.

"Like Jean said, you sure you're a vampire?" Allen asked after the squeal had died down. He had an embarrassed smile. He leaned his cheek on his hand, at ease enough to slouch.

"Enough of that now!" Lavi squawked. "Have you not seen these fine specimens that drive the ladies wild?" He bared his fangs in what he thought was a sexy way.

To his dismay Allen only snorted. "I'd pay to see the day a self-respecting lady falls into your arms over them."

"Just you wait. Just. You. Wait," Lavi grumbled.

Jean zoomed by with two glasses of water for them then sped off again to refill a table's water, his enthusiasm adding to the general atmosphere of cheer. The restaurant was a good place to come to, Lavi thought as he watched Allen smile and watch the world outside the window. It had a good energy, almost like the bar's, but with less of the things that had haunted his life. Being among more humans probably reminded him of the world he had come from. And today was sunny enough to make it seem like they were outside Arkham.

"It feels a bit like home," Allen gave voice to Lavi's thoughts.

Lavi rested his chin on linked fingers, his elbows propped on the table. "Where was home to you?" he prompted.

Allen closed his eyes as he thought. "Nowhere…a café in London. Or a cabin in Venice. Wherever it had felt safe, and good."

_Wherever he had been with Mana and Nea,_ Lavi guessed. He didn't know if it was the time to broach the topic of what Allen and the Earl had talked about, when Allen seemed so at peace.

He knew that Allen couldn't make an Alliance as part of his deal with the Earl. It wasn't ideal – once the moon rose tonight he would lose his Protection. But he just needed to be extra careful. The second thing he knew – the Earl had the Walkers in his hand. It solved the mystery of where they were, and Lavi hoped to get more information from his web of informers, to close as much of the gaps they had. The tide had turned against their favour, but they still needn't panic – though that was before they knew how much time they had. And what did the Earl want from Allen?

"I can hear you thinking yourself into knots, you know," Allen teased.

Lavi blinked. He then realized he had been staring into space for a while. "A foreign activity to you, I know," he retorted.

Allen grinned, his eyes half-lidded. "You can ask, you know. I won't break. Not like this morning."

Lavi eyed him. Allen seemed rueful, as though he was blaming himself for his earlier bout of despair. But he had lost the brittle edge and was far more like himself. Yet now that Allen had given him permission to ask…he wasn't quite sure where to begin.

Allen huffed after the silence had dragged on too long. "For an information broker you sure don't jump at your chances. I could retract the offer, you know."

At that Lavi jumped. "No! Sorry, sorry, I just – oh, where to begin?"

Allen recalled a similar lamentation from the Earl the night before, only this time he felt far calmer, more in control of the situation. He straightened up from his slouched position, pulled the chair in, and leaned back. It was more comfortable to speak that way.

"I'll tell you a story then. It is a long one, to be sure…"

.

Lenalee glanced outside as the sun lowered in the sky. There were still a couple of hours of daylight left to enjoy. Within the laboratory she could sense the lighter atmosphere, even though the number of explosions hadn't decreased, and there were still mysterious gases emitting from different rooms. Some things never did change.

She heard the front door being pushed open and poked her head out, wondering who it was. She gasped and abandoned the coffee.

"Allen!" She rushed forward and almost tackled him. "How are you? What happened? Are you hurt? Did you have to form an Alliance with the Earl? Did – "

"Lenalee," Allen wheezed. "Too tight."

"Oh!" She released her arms and stepped back to give him some space to breathe. "You're okay, I'm so glad!"

"So nice to see you too, Lenalady," Lavi said with a pout.

"Oh, hush you. I just saw you last night. Still, not that I'm not happy to see you both, but why did you come here?" She asked.

"Wanted to see Reever. I asked him a favour yesterday," Lavi explained.

Lenalee's face fell. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you guys. He went out – out of town, actually – for some urgent research with brother. Oh, he did leave something for you though, told me to pass it to you…"

She beckoned them to follow her as they stepped into what Lavi had termed the disaster zone. It didn't seem possible, but there seemed to be more papers than the previous afternoon. They even had to move some boxes out of the way to get to Reever's desk. Compared to the rest of the office, his desk was like an oasis. The stacks, though high, were neatly arranged. Lenalee took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the top drawer, taking out a brown file with a note taped to the front.

"Here," she said, passing Lavi the file.

_Hey Lavi,_

_Sorry I couldn't be here today. Blame Komui. Anyway, the database didn't turn up much, but hopefully something in here helps. _

_Drop by anytime, the lab will love some help._

_Cheers,_

_Reever_

Lavi opened the file and scanned the paper quickly. Beside him, Allen fidgeted and Lenalee looked on with patience.

"Thanks, Lena. You've been a great help," Lavi said, closing the file. Allen looked like he wanted to grab the file out of his hands. "I'll drop by another time to pay."

"That's fine. Now tell me, _what happened?_ Details, please," Lenalee said. Her curiosity heightened when Allen and Lavi exchanged a look. Lavi raised an eyebrow at Allen.

Allen broke the look with a sigh. "We should sit down. It's a bit of a story."

.

**REPORT ON: WALKER, MANA, and WALKER, NEA**

**REEVER WENHAMM**

**250 AC (AFTER CENTRAL), HUNTER'S MOON**

Est. 50 BC

In the earliest records of Arkham, Mana and Nea Walker were listed as residents.

Mana was listed as Nea's feed.

They were here in the same time as the Noahs. The Walkers seemed to have stayed in the Noahs' Mansion, though they had a separately listed address.

235 AC

The Walkers picked up an abandoned child at the gates of Arkham. The child was named Allen and was listed as Mana's son.

237 AC

Thirteen years ago, the Walkers left Arkham for reasons unknown.

By coincidence or otherwise, Mercym and Fiddler of the Noahs were found deceased on the same day.

250 AC, Dog Moon +10

According to a ghoul, Mr. Wells-Eye, he saw Mana and Nea re-enter Arkham on this day. They seemed to be heavily injured and were carried by Wrath of the Noahs.

There has been no further information of the Walkers thereafter.

**SIGNED,**

**REEVER WENHAMM**

**SECTION CHIEF OF ARKHAM RESEARCH**

**(SEE ATTACHED: Appendices 1-4)**

.

There was a wet cloth on his head, over his eyes, and soft light through the window when he woke. Mana was asleep on the chair next to his bed, arms resting on the mattress, head pillowed on his arms. It had been a night, maybe more, since he had passed out.

He removed the cloth and sat up, trying not to jostle his brother. He frowned, unable to remember what it was that had led to his headache, or even what he and Mana had talked about. Perhaps he could get Mana to remind him later. All he could remember was blue-gray, and a laughter that felt achingly familiar. There was no trace of the headache left. He was just drowsy, which a long night's sleep tended to cause.

Quietly, he slipped out of bed, padding over to the window to look out. The day had a hazy quality to it, and the wind was still stirring the grass. It blew into the house as well, a warm wind that soothed. Behind him Mana stirred and his eyes opened.

"Nea?" he mumbled when he saw him standing by the window.

"Hey. How'd you sleep?"

Mana groaned and stretched, bones in his back popping as he did so. "Mm…okay. You? How's your headache?"

Nea pressed fingers to his temple. "It's gone now. I don't know how it happened. Or why – thanks, though," he murmured.

Mana waved his thanks off. "Just don't ever do that again."

Nea smiled. He tried not to make promises he couldn't keep.

Mana stood up and shuffled over to the kitchen, likely to get a drink of water. Nea watched him carry out his routine of pouring a glass of water before putting the kettle to boil for tea. Nea himself never felt thirsty here though. Mana always joked that he should have dropped dead by now, but here he was, still standing. But he was feeling jittery as he watched Mana's morning routine.

"Mind if I play?" he called. He took Mana lazily flicking his wrist as permission.

The black piano stood against the wall of their living room. Nea ran his fingers over the cover – it was clean as always. The shine had faded, but it was smooth and alive under his fingers, as though just waiting for him to place his fingers on the keyboard. He lifted the cover and rested its weight on the leg, before settling onto the piano bench. Mana was still puttering about the kitchen as Nea placed his fingers on the keyboard with only the lightest touch.

He didn't know what to play. He pressed a key experimentally – the sound lingered in the room, clear as a bell. He pressed another, and two more in succession. He paused then, and tried the first four notes he had played seemingly at random. He knew this song. He couldn't place it, but his fingers knew it. When he tried again it was as though he had never forgotten it at all. His left hand played the accompaniment confidently, and at the end of the introduction he almost jumped when he heard Mana joining in with his rich baritone.

_And the little boy fell asleep  
__Breathing deeply  
__The ambers among the ashes flare  
__First one, then two  
__In the shape of a beloved face  
__And the thousands of dreams across the land  
__You shone like a star the night you were born  
__Though your silver eyes trembled  
__No matter how the countless years turn prayers into dust  
__I will keep praying  
__For love to be bestowed on this child  
__And for a kiss on these joined hands_

The music trailed off with the same four notes it had started with. Nea lifted his hands from the keyboard, listening to the last note fade in the air. Mana seemed to be listening to the same thing.

He felt like he could cry. He felt like something inside him could burst. He felt pain – not the pain like the headache had caused, but something deeper, aching, and more terrible than anything he had felt.

"We wrote this," Mana whispered, sounding shaken.

Nea stared at the keyboard. "Yes. We did. For someone."

He lifted his eyes and met Mana's. He knew, without asking, that Mana was feeling the same deep, raw ache in him.

"We must find him," Mana said. They did not know who he was, but they had to find him all the same.

"We must leave this place," Nea said in an echo of Mana's words.

The cottage, the grass, the trees – it was all only a childhood memory, and one they can no longer linger in.


	6. Chapter Six

**Prompt**: Riddle

* * *

When the moon rose Allen was in _Luna_, wiping down the bar. It was as spotless and shiny as he could make it, but he didn't know what else to do. The glasses were clean and ready, the bar didn't smell of vomit – and it was too empty. Krory wasn't working today. There was only Marie and him in the bar.

He felt like he was losing something. Something intangible was lifted, drawn away from his body, making him shiver for a while. When the sensation was gone he knew. That was the last of the Protection the Night Gods could offer him. He didn't feel drained. He just felt like he had, before entering Arkham.

Marie placed a large, warm hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Allen?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Allen lifted his head and continued wiping the bar. His smile looked like it had always been there. "Sure I am, Marie. Thanks for your concern," he said, mustering all the cheer he could into his voice. He suspected it didn't work, since Marie still had his brow creased. "Don't worry. I'll be careful. Even more careful," he amended.

Marie nodded and lifted his hand from Allen's shoulder. He still seemed worried. "I've never told you – " he stopped then, looking like he was regretting even saying that much.

"Told me what?" Allen probed. The look of mingled regret and solemnity on Marie's face made him hastily add, "Uh – you don't have to, though."

"No, no. It's about how I lost my sight," Marie said. Allen stopped wiping the bar and folded the cloth into quarters, waiting for Marie to continue. "It's not a good story for tonight, though."

"It's okay. I think it'll help. Really!" Allen said with a small laugh when Marie raised his eyebrows. "Only if you want to share, of course."

After a pause, Marie nodded and turned around to face the row of cabinets behind them. Some of them had diminished stock, since the rush of the past two nights. But the one Marie opened was almost full. He traced his fingers over the bottles until he found the one he wanted. A bottle of white wine, bought a few moons back. Marie smiled when he sensed Allen's hesitation. "I can't break out the really good ones, but we can have this one. On the house. A story – though a short one – is still better over wine."

"Oh, but – I'm still underage," Allen felt the need to point out, though he was unable to suppress his curiosity.

"In the human world," Marie agreed. "But you're in Arkham. Or should I not hire you, because that would infringe child labour laws?"

He had caught him there. Allen laughed. "Alright then," he said, taking out two wine glasses while Marie uncorked the bottle. He could smell the sweet, fruity scent of the wine. Marie heard where the wine glasses were placed and tipped the bottle at a careful angle, first filling Allen's glass, then his.

"For your first try, this is a good one. Not too strong, and it's sweet," Marie explained when he stood the bottle again and corked it with a wine stopper.

"Cheers, then," Allen said, holding his glass up. Marie clinked their glasses together.

"To a good month," Marie said.

Allen smiled and added, "To friendship."

It was a pleasant taste that hit his tongue. Mellow, with the scent and taste of ripe summer fruit. Allen held it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing, enjoying the warmth it brought. He swirled the wine in his glass, watching it glow golden. Marie placed his glass down and leaned against the counter, facing Allen.

"Well then…when I arrived in Arkham, I could still see. And what a sight Arkham was. I came here in search of knowledge and inspiration – an old friend of mine had told me about this place, and how to find it. I couldn't believe what he had said until I arrived at Arkham. For a long time I couldn't create – music, that is," he clarified. "But when I got here, I was able to write songs again."

Allen sipped at his wine, wondering what Marie's music was like. Whether it was as gentle as his soul.

"I got carried away with creating. With believing in the innate goodness of the creatures here, who had welcomed me warmly, as though I were one of their own. My old friend had told me of the Protection, which I thought made me invincible. I was young then – only a little older than you are, actually. I made friends with the humans here, who had urged me to make an Alliance. But though I was almost your age, I was far more naïve than you are. I didn't believe in the power of an Alliance.

"And so I paid the price," Marie said without a hint of self pity. Only like he was revisiting a friend who he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Who took it?" Allen asked, almost in a whisper.

Marie took a sip of wine and continued. "It has been said that you can see the spirit of a man in his eyes. The Arkham residents believe in that as well. The creature that I came across, one night, was no more than a wisp of his original self. He wasn't a Shadow, not yet. But he was one of the darkest creatures to roam Arkham – he was a Soul Eater, one of the rare few left in Arkham then."

Soul Eater – the term was foreign to him. It was obvious what they did, though. "He tried to – but how did you – "

"How did I survive?" Marie's lips quirked up in a smile before he sighed. "He seemed a man then. He introduced himself as Suman. He seemed injured, so I stopped to help him to a bench. Then we talked. He was a man who had lost everything. His wife, his daughter, his home. Which was why he had made his way to Arkham, desperate for a new start. But it seemed to me, as I listened to his story, that he was desperate for the devil's help. It was then I felt danger, and I tried to run away. But by then I was too late.

"You never feel a Soul Eater when he starts taking your spirit away. I only knew the world was growing darker before me, and that I wanted to scream but something had taken hold of my voice. It didn't hurt, but there was nothing more terrible than being locked in place and losing your senses. And that was how he took my sight. With no pain and no blood. He must have thought he was taking my spirit."

Allen leaned forward and refilled Marie's glass. "How did you not lose your soul?"

"Fire," Marie said simply. "A young boy who leapt out of the darkness with a fire torch. I could feel the heat as it went past me, and the shrill scream of the thing that had once been Suman. Soul Eaters and Shadows perish in flame – that was what I learnt from the boy after he was done shouting at me for my stupidity. A scolding I had sorely needed, from a boy who sounded a decade younger than me. And until now he has been my biggest help for surviving Arkham. Him, and the scientist he brought me to."

Marie picked up his glass and drank more of the wine, reminding Allen of his own glass. He drank too, and after finishing more of it he could only say, "Wow. What a story."

His boss laughed. "Just an old man's tale. I hoped it helps, somewhat. I didn't say it to worry you, just to remind you to take care. Though," Marie said with a thoughtful look, "I take all blame if it was boring."

"I like your tale," Allen said simply. _Far, far more than the one the Earl told me._ "I'm glad you told me. Thank you."

He hoped Marie knew he was thanking him for more than the story. By the way Marie smiled in response, he knew he had gotten the message.

.

A solemn stillness took over the graveyard at night as the ghosts danced to music only they could hear. They stood, row upon row, on their tombs and in the narrow paths that separated them from their neighbours. The old man who had forged coins danced with the lady who had drowned herself by a willow tree. The woman who stole for a thrill was twirled by the man who had raped and sinned. Each of their voices was as wispy as their forms, but when combined their song haunted and filled every corner of the graveyard.

_Your sword won't help you out  
And your coins are but illusions  
Fair of skin or foul of breath  
All must dance the dance of death_

Among the ghosts Miranda danced with a grace she had never enjoyed in life. She danced with Daisya, who had been sentenced to death long ago, in a time when stealing to feed hungry beggars had amounted to death sentences, in a land stricken by famine. In death he was lean, but his face was made for laughter. When they changed partners she danced with little Lala, who had cut her own throat after her young friend Guzol had been brutally torn apart for the crime of having a cursed face. Guzol might be in heaven, but Lala had to pay the price of taking her own life. Her voice was still sweet and clear as they danced and sang.

_Who are you that I must bend the knee?  
Who among us have suffered scorn?  
Here you don't have any chance  
For all must dance the dance of death_

The dance went on and on. The ghosts took turns to drift to the side, paying their respect to the grim reaper. Miranda took her leave as the ghosts spun and prepared for a new round. She first kissed the skeletal hand of the grim reaper, then made her way to the edge of the graveyard. Lavi stood outside the gate, his eye gleaming in the light of the full moon as he waited. His expression softened when he saw her.

"You danced well," he told her.

A blush would have done her complexion wonders. She smiled and stuttered, "T-thank you. Would you like to – the dance welcomes all…"

Lavi shook his head. "Perhaps another moon. I don't want to take too long of your time, just wanted to see if you had any luck with the Walkers."

Miranda shook her head and seemed to be about to apologize, when she realized that would only take up more of their time. "O-oh. Yes, about Mana and Nea Walker…well, ghosts outside said they roamed the land more than three centuries ago, and they only did so again for the past decade or so.

"One ghost saw the fight between them and three other vampires, as the Dog Moon waned. Nea managed to k-kill two of the vampires, but they've both lost too much blood by the time the third overpowered them. They were taken back here, to the Noahs' Mansion, where ghosts cannot enter."

Lavi was amused by the way Miranda had rattled off the details, as though she had memorized a script. But at the last detail he nearly let his shoulders slump. Then it was true the Walkers were trapped in the Noahs' Mansion. If so the chances of retrieving them had become much lower.

"Anything – "

"O-oh, there's – ah, sorry," Miranda said when she realized she had interrupted Lavi. He waved that aside and gestured for her to go on. "Ah – there is a spirit near the Mansion, I think you k-know her?"

"Hevlaska," Lavi said without hesitation. The spirit had been lingering there since many centuries past, ever since her family had been massacred as a gift to the gods. It had been said her presence gives strong magic to the place, which might have been part of the reason why the Noahs built their mansion there. Old magic was the strongest form of magic there was.

_But the Earl isn't the only one who can use old magic._

"Y-yes. She says the Walkers sleep under her field just next to the Mansion. They sleep deep under. She said there is a secret tunnel built into the ground that brings them air, but that it is only a very small tunnel. Only spirits like her, or ghosts if we're allowed in the Noahs' barrier, can use that tunnel."

So they've narrowed down the location. The Walkers slept in a place connected to the mansion, but far underground. It didn't make things easier for them, but the information helped them explore their options.

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Miranda. You've been a great help."

"O-oh. No, no, it was the least I could d-do," Miranda said with little bows of the head. "It's so very little, compared to the present you gave…"

"Well, we'll just call it even," Lavi said with a wink. "I've taken up too much of your time. The dance is yours to have."

He gestured up the slope, where the ghosts twirled and sang. Some of them were gazing at Lavi in open curiosity. There was a wistful look in Miranda's eyes as she turned to look at them. "I – I should – "

"I'll see you another time," Lavi softly answered.

With another quick bow, Miranda glided back up where the dancers, without breaking stride, opened up a space for her. As Lavi turned and returned to town he could hear the last strain of a verse.

_Who was the fool?  
Who the wise man?  
Who was the Emperor?  
Who the beggar?  
When your luck runs out  
All must dance the dance of death_

.

Kanda was there to see it this time, as Gryphon was killed.

He had trained hard and long. Becoming part of the shadows had afforded him entry into the hunters' stronghold, and the magic there still recognized him as one of them. _Fools,_ he had thought as he glided, shadow to shadow. Central was so brightly lit he had to use the overhead vents at times. This Hunter's Moon they seemed especially anxious. And they were right to be. It was the night Kanda could utilize his skills to the fullest. It was the night all creatures were strongest. Hunters, though the arm of the law, could not escape the rogue claws of creatures.

There had been patrols in every corridor by the hunters. Kanda wasn't interested in them. He wanted to find Leverrier or – even better – Alma. He skulked near the lifts. If Alma was hidden deep down, the chances were that a guard will be making their way down soon, to change shifts.

He only had to wait until the moon passed its zenith before a guard, holding a tray of food, swiped his card in the lift and pressed a button. Previous guards who had used the lift couldn't press the button. Kanda figured this was his chance. He slipped in from the elevator vent and kept in the far corner. The guard fidgeted and looked around as the elevator descended for several long seconds. Kanda counted the seconds.

When the door opened it was to a sterile, white world. Kanda melted into the vents again, looking around for any corners he could utilize. It was tricky, but he managed to meld into the line above the door – as long as he kept very still he wouldn't reveal himself. The guard swiped his card and pressed his finger against the scanner as well before he was allowed entry. He had to do this thrice more and endure a final eye scan before he was allowed into the final room.

When Kanda followed him and saw the room, it took all the training and restraint he had to not burst from his form. He was already at the edge, and would have to find a safe spot to resume the full wolf form soon.

But not now. Not when he could see Alma, floating in one of those damnable shells, eyes closed, seemingly at peace. And he felt utterly wrong. He seemed too young, like a child whose limbs had grown too long, but whose face retained his cherubic looks. Kanda watched as Alma floated, floated…the wings on his back curling and uncurling around his form. Large eagle wings that looked sharp enough to cut.

While Kanda had been made into a creature of the land, Alma had been made into one to fly, but Central had clipped his wings. And evidently Alma hadn't mastered his hybrid form – he was half human, half eagle.

Kanda resisted letting out a growl, or pouncing towards the shell that held Alma. Instead, he continued observing. Doubtless the girl who prowled the perimeter of his shell had received his cells. She had the eyes of a bird of prey, the small, light structure needed for flight, and golden, wavy hair. There were marks near her eyes – marks of the top five, the elite hunters. She received the sustenance from the guard with a nod of thanks before dismissing him. Kanda wondered if she could sense him. But while she was alert, he knew she didn't have the experience afforded by the savage forest, only the experience of Arkham life. She seemed so young as well. How long had Central been doing this, toying with children her age and younger?

Both the girl and Kanda sensed them at the same time though. She placed the food away calmly and unsheathed her knives, holding it at the ready. _That won't stop them,_ Kanda thought, as mist seeped through the doors and materialized into two figures. She narrowed her eyes – mist was an uncertain form, and one she couldn't attack. Kanda could see golden eyes first, then lips, then dark skin. When they were fully formed the girl was staring into the eyes of Tyki and Lulubell of the Noahs. She looked like she had already anticipated them, if her lack of shock was anything to go by.

Tyki took his time straightening out his clothes and lazily scanning the place. He raised an eyebrow at her ready stance. "Not running away? Impressive," he grinned. It bared his fangs for her to see. "Seeking revenge, are you?"

She stared them down, her stance unbroken. She tilted the knives, the blades catching the white sterile light. "You took Dodo, Raven, and Owl," she said. It was not a question.

"Leaving Gryphon and Jabberwock," Tyki agreed. He shucked off his gloves and tucked them into his pocket. "Are you happy, girl? You won't be the last to go."

"I will kill you," she swore.

Lulubell shook her head and tucked the hair behind her ears. It was the only warning she got before the Noahs sprang into action.

The girl was strong and fast, Kanda noted clinically. But against two of the Noahs she stood little chance. Lulubell had already transformed into a sinuous, watery form that the girl couldn't hurt, no matter how much she slashed and cut, even while avoiding Tyki's blows. Tyki was fast – one second she was swerving away from a blow that might have crippled her arm, the next she had to leap into the air to avoid his kick, even while a watery arm threatened to strangle her. And when she turned to engage Tyki instead, the water turned to spikes, shredding her skin and sending the blood flying.

It was the Hunter's Moon, and the Noahs were out to hunt.

With a desperate twist, she got herself out of Lulubell's watery cage. But Tyki was there to anticipate her, and when his hand shot out for her throat she barely dodged it, only to roll on the ground that had turned into Lulubell's spikes.

Kanda could see the second she began to change. Her long hair became rougher, her face lengthened and her eyes came to the side even as she flew into the air. Her arms became wings, and her body the long torso of a lion. A terrible squawk was emitted from her beak as she swooped down, claws aiming for Tyki's throat. He ducked and laughed, gathering some form of energy in his hands while Lulubell transformed back and leapt up, cat nimble, onto the roof. Gryphon's sharp feathers nearly cut her. But she seemed unfazed as she widened and melted into dark liquid again.

"Silly girl. Your claws and beak are no more useful than your knives," Tyki said with a cold chuckle.

Gryphon snarled, before ducking down as Lulubell sent spikes down from the ceiling. Tyki chased after her, the energy between his hands widening, widening…

A soundless blast shook the shell Alma was sleeping in. When Kanda had regained his grip on the shadow Tyki already had Gryphon trapped in a deadly embrace. There was some sort of dark void around the creature. Gryphon's beak was opened wide. But sound was robbed from her too. Before their eyes, the body changed back into that of a young girl with her legs kicking, the eagle head into a face that had its mouth open in a scream. And finally, wings retracted and turned into arms and hands that clawed at her own throat.

"She's strong," Tyki muttered to Lulubell as she transformed back. Lulubell nodded, though neither of them had a scratch. She went around the ground, flicking her fingers and cleaning up spots of blood, the food, and all form of evidence, while the girl twisted in Tyki's vacuum. Kanda watched, almost morbidly fascinated. The girl struggled only for a minute more, terror in her wide eyes, before she went limp, weightless in the vacuum. Tyki allowed a few more seconds before smiling in satisfaction.

"You're done?" Lulubell questioned in a disinterested manner. The floor was as spotless as it had been before the fight.

Tyki retracted his vacuum, catching the girl in his arms. "Yeah. Quicker than I thought."

"Let's make our way back then," Lulubell said, already starting to walk to the exit.

"You sure don't know how to bask in victory," Tyki said with a put-upon sigh. He shifted the girl, keeping her blood from dripping onto the floor. "The one time I get to make the kill, and I'm partnered with you."

Lulubell glanced at him. "The Earl said it was either me or the twins."

"On second thought then," Tyki amended. He looked straight at the darkened spot Kanda was in. "And what about our dear spectator? And how are you feeling? Was it over too quick for you?" he said with lips curled, a taunting edge in his voice.

Kanda grimaced. He stayed in the shadow – it was his only protection.

Tyki sighed. "You know, we are on the same side, though you may not have realized it. Otherwise you would have helped your past ally, no?"

_None of them were my ally. Only the pitiful products of Central._

"Ah, well. Suit yourself," Tyki said after a long pause. He followed Lulubell, and out of Kanda's sight.

He made sure they had gone before he transformed back into a man, battling the side effects of his overly long transformation. It was only on full moon nights that he could become like a shadow, but it had its tolls. He gritted his teeth, feeling pain wrack his body. But it was no matter. It was no matter. He had gone through worse, and now he was looking at Alma. He was one step closer to getting him back.

He stood up, fighting to balance on legs that seemed to have lost their strength. He wondered if Alma could hear him. "Alma," he tried, but Alma only floated and slept his long, deep sleep. Kanda eyed the area around his shell. It seemed empty, but he knew there was a magnetic field that might shock, even kill if he touched it. The mechanisms that kept his shell closed were many and complicated. But he had to try. He had come too far.

"Wait for me, Alma. Just a while more. I promise I'll get you out."

Alma's eyes remained shut as his eagle wings fluttered open, close, open.

.

The first thing was figuring out where to go, and how to get there.

"There's no road," Mana said.

"Nor people," Nea added.

He had seen this type of world before. He knew he had. He could barely remember the boy they were trying to get back to, but he tried this time to remember other things. Other people in their lives that they've met before. Someone who knew this world.

"We need to remember," Nea said after some consideration. This world, this land – it was their childhood home. But that wasn't right. Why would they be in their childhood home? They have left it, turning their back once they have decided to explore the world, hadn't they? Or was that only his wistful imagining?

"Remember?" Mana asked.

"Think. We've had a different life, we must have had. When did we come here?"

"That was…" Mana rubbed his forehead. "Many moons before…"

"There is no moon here. Why is there no moon here?" Nea walked around in small, tight circles, kicking at the grass and sending loose leaves flying. There was something terribly wrong here. The hazy light, the night with no moon, the wind. It was all wrong, it lacked something. Nea couldn't put his finger on it. It lacked time, but not only that…

Mana leaned back against the tree trunk, watching Nea trace his steps over and over. He pressed his fingers against his temple and said, in a strained voice, "Our dreams? Maybe…they showed the life we've been leading?"

The dreams of running in the snow, performing, holding a child – Nea nodded. It was as good a starting point as any. "Let's start there. We were…performers, once. Travelling performers."

"Aye," Mana agreed. He rubbed at his neck and rotated his head, grimacing. "With a little boy. My – or your – son?"

Son. Nephew. Nea allowed those words to linger in his mind, and he mouthed it out, memorizing the shape of the words and the way they felt on his tongue. "Yes…yes. Let's try to remember his name."

Mana slumped down against the tree, both hands pressed against his temples this time. Nea kept circling, circling, and Mana was getting dizzy watching him. "We could…run through the alphabet?"

"We could. It would take a long time, but – " Nea smiled without humour – "it seems this world is made of more than enough time."

"Okay. Okay…A," Mana breathed out. "A…Aaron."

It didn't sound right. "Abel?" Nea offered.

"Abel? Who names a boy Abel?" Mana asked with skepticism.

"Somebody who has a fascination with Abel and Cain. Well then…Ackerley."

Mana wrinkled his nose. "There's no cute nickname to make with that. Um…A…Adam."

The two of them paused at that name, then turned to each other with the same expression. It wasn't so much horror, as it was a feeling of unease. Adam sounded familiar. But not for the boy.

Nea mentally shelved that name aside and picked up the thread again. "Aidan. Mana, deep breaths."

Mana breathed out a laugh. "What sort of name is 'Mana, deep breaths'?"

Nea crouched in front of him, understanding in his eyes. "Don't succumb like I did. Breathe. And relax. Don't try too hard, just…talk with me."

Mana struggled against the encroaching headache, but that only made him feel worse. Nea placed a cool hand on his forehead, and that made him feel better for a while. "Don't struggle with it. Just breathe, relax, think of something else. This tree, the grass. Kicking my leg out from under me, if that makes you feel better."

He laughed a little at that, and felt better for it. He breathed, trying not to think of anything at all. It was working gradually, the pain ebbing away until all that remained was a dull ache, like one he got if he didn't sleep enough. Nea's hand on his head and the other on his neck helped bring him back to the present.

"Okay, I'm okay…really," he said when the frown still creased Nea's brow. He poked it. "It'll stay that way if you leave it too long."

"I can't get any uglier than you, so that's a relief," Nea said with a tiny smile.

"I shudder to think of your children. So…Aidan, was it?"

"Doesn't sound right," Nea agreed, seating himself beside Mana. That left Mana to look at the grass instead of Nea circling. "Hmm, Al…Al…"

Mana gripped his arm. "Al sounds – Al, Alan?"

Excitement shot through Nea, but he forced it down. He didn't want a repeat of the headache. "No…no, it sounds close, though. Not Alan, it doesn't fit right…Ale – Alex?"

Mana shook his head the same time Nea did. "The first part sounds correct. Ale – Alan – Al – "

_Allen_.

They widened their eyes as a voice whispered the right name in their heads. Mana's grip tightened so hard he was sure he would bruise Nea's arm. But he didn't care. He said it silently, testing the shape of it, the way it felt right on his tongue, before saying out loud, "Allen."

That was when the headache attacked again. Only this time, it didn't spare either of them.

Spikes of pain shot through them, though this time images and memories accompanied the pain. A little baby bawling in the snow, two men running around after a toddler, the first time the boy juggled and dropped a ball on his head, laughter as one of them tripped in the snow, tears at an injury, a move across the country, weary legs from the long trek, ice cream melting in the sun as a little tongue tried to catch all the liquid, blue-gray eyes laughing and smiling and frowning and crying –

Nea gasped, wrenching away the pain with all his might, trying to cling on to the images and the burst of feelings. The ache and the deep, overwhelming need to protect. _It's okay,_ he repeated over and over, _it's okay, this is all good. You know him. He's your nephew. Your brother's son. The one you left, and the one you're going to find. It's okay, it's good. Fight against this. You have to remember._

Mana groaned, clutching his head. "Stop it…stop it, stop it, stop it…you can't take this from me, from us. No, no, no no no…" he muttered, pressing his head between his knees. Nea gripped his hand, and felt an answering grip.

_We're stronger than this. We are. He's waiting for us to wake from this dream. _

_We've been resting here far too long. _

.

_Luna_ was closed once the moon started to disappear below the horizon. On full moon nights there was no point leaving it open longer than that. Allen idly wondered if Lavi would be there to pick him up, or if he would be having his own ritual. Lavi never did tell him what he did on full moon nights. It was with the expectation that he would be walking home alone that Allen locked up the bar.

When he turned around, his heart almost stopped at the sight of Lavi before him. Allen clutched at his chest. "Lavi! You shocked me."

Lavi's smile was strange, and there was a pained look in his eye. "Couldn't leave you to walk home by your lonesome, eh? A siren might make off with you."

Allen frowned. "I have your scarf," he pointed out. The scarf was sitting snugly around his neck.

"Good thing you do too," Lavi agreed. He seemed to be standing as far away from Allen as he could, while keeping him in sight. "Let's go, then."

Allen nodded, leading the way out. Usually by this time Lavi would be poking at him, or slinging an arm around his shoulder, or pulling him by the hand. Lavi was still keeping pace with him, but there was a large gap between them.

"You're being weird," Allen pointed out.

"Am I?" Lavi asked. His eye gleamed in the light. It was a far darker shade than usual.

"You…sure you're okay? You're not acting like it," Allen said. Without Lavi's antics Allen toyed with the scarf, wrapping his hand in it then unwrapping, and repeating the same thing with his other hand.

"Oh, yeah. Never better!" Lavi said. It had a hollow ring to it. He quickened his pace, leaving Allen almost jogging to keep up with him. "We should get you in soon."

"Lavi – " Allen almost stumbled over a curb – "Lavi, wait, you're too – " he didn't even have a scarf to pull at, since it was around his own neck – "Lavi, slow down!"

He managed to grab Lavi's arm. Lavi stiffened for a split second before he wrenched free, leaving Allen's hand clutching at empty air. Allen gaped, before he schooled his expression again. "Lavi…what's wrong?" he asked, beyond worried.

"Nothing. We…we have to get you back. Then I have to go," Lavi said in a carefully controlled voice, never meeting Allen's eyes all the time. He resumed the walk, now only seconds from the apartment.

"Go? But – Lavi!" Allen exclaimed. Yet he had no choice but to follow, unable to help noticing the distance Lavi kept between them.

It was a tense silence that shrouded them as they made their way up the stairs and to his door. Lavi stood far from him while he turned the key. The moon was almost invisible by now, though the sky was still dark. When the door was opened Allen remained standing outside, shooting Lavi a pointed look.

"In," he said, when Lavi had made no move.

"No. Get inside now, Allen," Lavi said, voice as hard as steel.

"You will get in, or I'll search for you the whole day. And shave off your fangs," he added, almost as an afterthought.

The threat seemed to amuse Lavi. "That might actually be best for you, you know."

Allen pointed in the direction of the house. He could stand here for as long as Lavi wanted to battle this out. Lavi's voice took on a dangerous edge as he growled, "Do not tempt me. In. Now."

He hadn't been aware there was anything tempting about his house. Or dangerous. As far as he knew Lavi had embroidered his name onto Allen's couch already. So why would he resist going in now? There was a dread that started coiling in Allen. "We're not going to continue this on the corridor," Allen said, his tone as unyielding.

"You do realize," Lavi said with a dark smile, "that I could hurt you if I wanted to? Stop being a fool, Allen Walker."

Allen suppressed his shiver and stood his ground, refusing to believe it. "You have offered me protection of your blood. I refuse to believe you would retract that now. And if you have – " he held his head high – "then this scarf must return to its rightful owner, I suppose."

Lavi let out a barking, sharp laugh. Allen refused to back away. When Lavi had stopped laughing he stepped closer instead, watching him. His eye was dark, far too dark. And it became more dilated the closer Allen got, until they were just one pace apart. Allen unwrapped the scarf, watching Lavi the whole time. Lavi's expression didn't change until Allen held the scarf in his hand. Then his eye was so dark the pupil almost couldn't be seen.

"Are you still the Lavi I know?" Allen whispered, holding the scarf out. "Have you waited till this moon so I could be your prey?"

He felt fear and sorrow grip him at the thought. Lavi didn't react, and the more time ticked by, the more hope Allen lost. He stepped back and turned to enter the flat, shoulders stiff –

Only to be grabbed by Lavi. He twisted his arm, trying to turn around. But at the feeling of a cold nose on his neck, he could only freeze, grip tight on the blood red scarf.

He could feel Lavi take a deep breath. And he didn't dare to move.

Then as quick as Lavi had grabbed him, he was pushed away and Lavi had sprung back, almost to the end of the corridor. When he turned around on shaky legs, he could see that Lavi's eye was wide. There was a crazed light in it.

"Don't – " Lavi growled – "don't you dare come near me. I mean it!" He bared his fangs, not in the way he had at _Jeryy's_. It felt far too feral this time. "Allen, stay away from me."

His heart beat a fast staccato as he stared at Lavi. He didn't dare move closer – but Lavi looked as scared as he felt. He swallowed against the fear, trying to push it down. The scarf was getting creased in his grip. "Lavi, can't we…talk? Please," he called out, suppressing his flinch when Lavi snarled. Lavi crossed his arms and gripped tight, seeming not to have heard him.

"It was a mistake," he said in such a low voice Allen struggled to hear him. "I shouldn't have come tonight. Never the moon nights."

Allen took a deep breath and pointed out, "The moon is setting. And soon the sun will rise, however weak it is. Just…don't go, Lavi. We need to talk. You need to tell me what's wrong."

The magic and pull of the moon must be so strong that Lavi could feel it, even though it was just a dark sky now. Allen waited, chiding himself for his shaky legs. _Lavi's a friend. He's been your friend for a long time. He's never hurt you, only tried to protect you._

_And for what?_ The dark, doubtful side of his mind chimed in. _He had never done anything without a reason. Why you? Why did he decide to gain your trust?_

Allen squashed the doubt. It crept up on the worst nights, the nights he wondered what had caused Nea and Mana to stop loving him. He would not allow it to overtake him now. He could not. He needed to –

_Why did he protest so much against an Alliance with the Earl? Maybe you would have gotten back Nea and Mana by now, if you hadn't made him the promise. What if this delay has cost you your life? He had just been waiting, waiting…_

Allen bit his lip, clenching his hands tighter. The nails of his left hand dug into flesh, even through the glove. But the right hand only clenched on the scarf. The scarf with blood in it. A palm with a cut across it, and a finger barely healed.

_Trust me._

He didn't know if that was Lavi's voice. But he did owe Lavi that much.

He waited. Slowly, the crazed light in Lavi's eye diminished, and his eye began to constrict. Daylight hadn't broken through the night, but Allen could see the lighter, jade green of Lavi's eye making its appearance. Lavi's grip on his arms was relaxing, and Allen answered in kind, his hands loosening on the fraying cloth. But Lavi was still refusing to meet his eyes.

Allen took a step forward. When Lavi didn't respond he took another step, then a third. Moving slowly, the way he would approach a jittery, injured being. He did not want to startle Lavi into flight. Lavi's eye darted around, as though he was searching for an escape route. And there was one behind him, down the stairs, but he didn't take it, for some reason. Allen stopped a few paces in front of him.

"Lavi," he said simply. "Come inside."

There was a haggard quality to Lavi's eye. He searched Allen's face, almost in fear. Allen kept it neutral, kept all the lingering fear inside him. "Lavi," he repeated, giving him a stern gaze.

Lavi looked down, and nodded. Allen waited until Lavi had walked forward before he turned and headed for the open door as well. Waited until Lavi had taken a step in, before he closed the door behind him and locked it.

There was a lot of explaining to do. And Allen was prepared to listen.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes**:

Even though this was started because of Allen/Lavi week, I don't think I can finish the story within eight prompts. There's a bit more I would like to pack in.

Thank you for waiting – I haven't been on time with the prompts, and with this chapter I'm doubly late. I'm grateful to see that people are still reading and liking this. Your reviews are a joy to read.

Please enjoy – my chosen prompt for this chapter is **Liberty**.

* * *

In his earliest memory of being a vampire he had learnt of feeds. Bookman had been human, but he had taught him before he was turned, and even after, all the way until his death. Lavi had travelled with him, had retained his youthful features while Bookman grew older and the wrinkles deepened around his eyes. It hadn't been, and will never be, the other vampires he learnt from.

Bookman was why he had never sought to join a coven. He had become an information broker instead, something close enough to Bookman's job as a historian. The old man had grunted at his choice, before proceeding to whap him around the head. Lavi suspected it was just because Bookman had felt like it.

Then Bookman had died, and Lavi had been free to go wherever he chose. He wandered the world for a century and more, reveling in the sights, drinking in the wars, learning of the way humans lived, in sorrow and in triumph. He took blood only when he needed it, and he never killed. It almost irked him, having to take blood. It was bothersome finding somebody to trick, and the taste was never good enough. He took the years to train, to hone his skills, though he never became too proficient in them. He could pull off a decent hypnosis, he was good at spying, and closer to the moon he could even dissolve into mist if he tried hard enough. But information gathering and analysis would always be his strongest suit.

And at the end of his travels, he had finally decided to go to Arkham, home of the night creatures. By default he had given up on finding anybody as his feed. Most humans in Arkham had Alliances, and the new ones found theirs soon enough. Besides, he was bored with most of them, or just didn't care. With Marie's bar it became much easier to satisfy his blood lust, and he contented himself with being an information broker in a world where exchanges and favours meant everything.

He had heard stories before, from vampires whom he had dealings with. Especially the vampires with feeds. They spoke of how they knew, from the moment they had contact with a human, whether the human was the right feed for them. Each human had distinct scents, and vampires had their preferences too. Komui had explained to Lavi his theory – the scent the vampire is most attracted to indicated the human had the nutrients the vampire needed to be in his or her best form. The scientist had added with a wry smile that for some it was the human equivalent of love at first sight. And because vampires and feeds are bound to each other, in some cases they did become lovers.

Lavi didn't believe in love at first sight. He understood Komui's theory and saw the plausibility of it. But he had given up on finding his feed, and would be fine with donated blood or random humans when he needed to feed.

That only lasted until Lenalee had introduced him to Allen, and he smelt him, and he just _knew_.

.

In Allen's living room, Lavi stood as far away from him as he could, not wanting to risk it until the moon had gone down. Allen was impatient, but he remained on the couch with his arms crossed, resisting the urge to tap his foot. Lavi stood by the window, fighting the blood lust. He glanced out at the dark sky and waited for it to lighten, waited until his fangs did not hurt so much he wanted to claw it out.

When the sky lightened into dark gray Allen raised an eyebrow. Lavi still wanted to flee. But without the excuse of the moon, and with Allen looking so expectant – he knew he had to explain his behaviour. He wished he could have a glass of blood, just to be safe.

He thought of asking Allen what he wanted to know first. But that would be pointless – he already knew the answer. Walking out from the kitchen he leaned against the wall of the living room while Allen was sat on the couch. Allen would have squirmed, if he hadn't dealt with worse situations before – like with the Earl from the night before. Only compared to the Earl, Lavi didn't seem eager to launch into his tale. He looked like a man walking to the gallows.

"On full moon nights," Lavi finally started, gaze fixed on the opposite wall, "most vampires will have blood lust. Even if they had fed the night before. The moon's pull is strong, and vampires aren't able to fight her draw. And on those days, even the most relaxed of vampires will prefer fresh blood, that's why close to no vampires would visit _Luna_ on moon nights."

Allen waited. And waited. Lavi seemed to be struggling with what to say next, so he kept quiet and watched.

"However, blood lust doesn't mean vampires will attack _any_ random stranger. Those with feeds will, well, feed. Those without will still choose whom to feed on."

Allen's eyebrows raised so high they might have disappeared behind his hair. "You would have chosen…me?" He asked.

"For the short answer, yes," Lavi said, not daring to look at Allen as he said so. It was only going to get more difficult from here. "But, if I had seen you as a temporary feed, I could still have more…control. I could have as easily found somebody outside Arkham, to feed without killing."

Lavi glimpsed out the corner of his eye as Allen frowned, trying to make sense of his roundabout explanation. He had the feeble hope that Allen wouldn't get it, but Allen was far smarter than his hope. The moment it clicked in his head Allen's jaw dropped open.

"You said…if I were a 'temporary' feed…" Allen started slowly, not quite sure if he was getting it right. "But since you, uh, attacked – " he regretted the word when Lavi winced – "for lack of a better word, that is – you mean my blood smelt like more than that?"

Reluctantly, Lavi nodded. "You know about feeds, at least a little. Each vampire is still different from another, in terms of the nutrients they need, and the blood they prefer. Else we could all be served chicken's blood and nobody would care. And the feeds provide the vampires the nutrients he or she needs. It's not…a case of picking any human to become a feed. And so…I nearly lost control because – that is to say – um…" Lavi scratched his head, unable to say it.

"I…you think I'm your feed. Or could be your feed," Allen said it for him.

Lavi nodded, shame suffusing him. He didn't know how to read Allen's expression.

Seconds passed while Allen stared at his hands, processing the information. Knowing he could be somebody's feed was one thing; but actually being presented with the idea of immortality, of being bound to another – that was something he had never given thought to.

"Why…didn't you tell me before?"

There were a million reasons why. And Lavi knew the most important one. "If you had known before making your Alliance – you might think I'm only trying to get close to you for your blood. To force you into an Alliance with me," he admitted, feeling wretched. "And I didn't want you to think that. I just wanted to be…" he shook his head. "I don't know what I wanted to be. Your friend, for one. But not your captor. Not that. Never that."

"And now?" Allen said in a soft voice. "Not that I know, you're not afraid that I would think that? I don't have an Alliance still."

"And you can't have one, as you've promised under the Night Gods," Lavi said. "I…you're free to think that, and if you want I can…I can leave you," he forced the words out, trying to hide his dread at the thought.

Allen stared at him, but Lavi still wasn't meeting his eyes. He stood up from the couch and walked over to stand in front of Lavi. Lavi ducked his head down, but Allen forced it up to meet his eyes. They studied each other's expression until Allen said, "But you didn't. You didn't say a word before the moon. And you even wanted to stay away tonight, if it weren't today I lost the Protection."

Lavi, still unsure and fearful, nodded. "I would never make you my feed, if you're unwilling to," he emphasized. "Please believe me."

"I believe you," Allen whispered after a long, nerve-wracking moment. "I'm a bit mad, sure. But I believe you."

Lavi breathed a sigh of relief. The blood lust still thrummed a little at Allen's proximity. But it was turning to day, and Lavi's head wasn't so muddled and crazed. When Allen wandered back to the couch, his head even felt clear for the first time after the moon night. Lavi didn't move from his position against the wall, unwilling to assume that Allen wanted him anywhere near now that he had explained.

"Okay…" Allen breathed out, looking lost now that the issue had been dealt with. "Okay, I don't quite know how to deal with that, so let's shelve it aside for now?" he suggested. He looked annoyed when he saw Lavi was still standing against the wall. "I don't bite, you know."

"No, that's my forte," Lavi said without thinking. Then he wondered if he should apologize. Or just shut his big mouth up. Or just run away.

Allen rolled his eyes. "I can procure a file for those things you call fangs, and spare all of Arkham from you and your horrible jokes. I'm sure everyone will be fighting for an Alliance with me by then. Now, please tell me about what you've found out first, about Mana and Nea. Then we can deal with this feed thing."

Lavi still hesitated in approaching. "You…you're sure you're okay? I mean, I just went all batshit crazy out there."

Allen sighed, as though he were explaining the same thing again, to a kid who refused to understand. "Last I checked, whether I'm okay is for me to decide. And I'm going to be really pissed if you're still going to be all guilty about this – I _will_ file your fangs away, believe me. Now stop being an idiot." He patted the seat next to his. "Besides, you've always been batshit crazy. You were just trying to top yourself this time."

Lavi couldn't help chuckling as he pushed off the wall. "You're still so cruel."

"I prefer the term 'real'," Allen said with a huge grin, the first of the long night.

.

Road felt pain lace through her. She was no stranger to pain, so she continued licking at her blood lollipop while Wisely and the twins discussed how to best ambush Jabberwock. She reached to her core, where two swirls of energy were trapped in a little space of her creation. The creation would not hold for much longer – something had happened for the walls to weaken. As she swung her legs she could hear the continued echo of a name from within her, as though it were a chant against forgetting and oblivion.

And if they won against her, they would have won fair and square. She would admit that much, and in any case she and the Earl both knew she was only delaying the inevitable. Soon they would wake, and hopefully only after Allen had agreed to unlock the curse. Yet even if they woke earlier than hoped, they were still too weak. The Earl had made sure of that. Nea would never be able to go anywhere with Mana so weakened.

She listed the names. _Fiddler, Mercym, Tried, Mightra._ It was no longer sadness that washed through her. Just a conviction to remember. And one more too, one she didn't know where to place. _Nea._ For her, he was a memory that lingered in the space between remembrance and revenge.

Nibbling at the edge of the lollipop, she continued feeling the energy swirling round and round, restless in its search. The question was, would they find it? The key to escaping the dream.

She hid a smirk. The game had only just begun.

.

When they awoke again, the sky had deepened into blue. The grass rustled around them, tickling their cheeks. Leaves had fluttered down on a leg, part of a torso, a hand. The night was warm.

Nea sat up, used to the feeling of disorientation. He didn't like it, but now he had come to associate it with having remembered something. Seen in that light, he would rather the disorientation than the vague feeling of unease he had been living with before. He brushed the leaves off him, and checked on Mana. Mana had his eyes open, but he wasn't making any move to sit up. He blinked when Nea placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I dreamt, little bro," he said in a sleepy, affectionate voice.

"You did?" Nea smiled. It was hard not to when Mana sounded and looked like a kid. "Did you dream about much needed intelligence? Must have been nice."

Mana grinned and closed his eyes. "I wouldn't dare steal your dreams. I saw the boy. Allen."

Nea felt envious for a bit. All he had was a deep sleep. "And what was it about?"

"He was around ten, I think. It was Christmas. We were staying in an inn, which had dreadful wallpaper. So dreadful even Allen wrinkled his nose, though you couldn't ask for a more obedient boy. You went off to steal a little Christmas tree nobody wanted. A scraggly little thing, which looked like a dog chewed and spat it out. But Allen was so happy. He went to rummage around the garbage and brought back things. Scraps of paper, buttons, old clothes. He smelt like a little garbage truck too when he came back, and I forced him into the shower first. Then when he came out we sat around and made ornaments. Allen made the most hideous clown, but he was so proud of it. You weren't much better. You stuck some pieces of paper together and called that an angel, when it just looked like…I don't even know what it looked like. Like pieces of paper stuck together."

Nea snorted. "Of course, you'd know all about art, wouldn't you?"

"Absolutely. I made some fine paper candy canes, wouldn't you believe that? Allen kept laughing and laughing, though. We hung all the things we made around the poor little tree and it still looked like a dog had it for dinner. You were singing, and Allen was warbling along, and I was about to take out the presents we secretly prepared…when I woke up."

Mana looked wistful. He sat up and looked at his brother. "That wasn't just a dream, was it? That happened. It must have. I don't know how long ago, but it must have."

"Yes," Nea affirmed without doubt. It was too fresh a scene to not have been real. "And now we leave this world. We find our way back."

Mana ran a hand through his hair, shaking out some small leaves along the way. "We remembered him. What else do we do, to get out?" He looked around and lingered on the cottage. "Do you think we can find something there?"

Nea followed his gaze. There didn't seem to be anything new in the cottage when they had left it. But then again, they hadn't been actively searching for a way out then. "It's as good a try as any." He stood up, reaching a hand down for Mana to grasp.

The walk back had never seemed so long as it did then. Nea looked up at the sky as they walked, trying to search for the moon. There was no moon and he knew, with a primal instinct, that he needed her. That she had some huge part to play in his life, though he didn't yet know what. He could at least recall what she looked like – an orb in the sky that hid parts of herself in a shy lover's game. The lights in their cottage could never be as bright as her embrace.

Mana pushed the door open. Everything in there was as they had left it in the morning. Nea looked around, wondering where to start.

"I'll start from the room," Mana suggested. It left Nea the living room and kitchen to search.

He started with the kitchen, since it seemed less likely he might find anything there. There was nothing personal about the kitchen. It had knives and pots and pans, of no specific origin. He lingered at the pantry. There was the earl gray tea Mana favoured, some pasta for the meals Mana felt lazy, condiments of every sort – Mana was an experimental kind of cook. That, and from the dreams they've seen, they've never been rich enough to afford really good food.

When he looked in the refrigerator he could see a whole lot of tomatoes and cucumbers, some meat, frozen dinners, even ice cream. He frowned. He couldn't recall them going anywhere to buy food, yet it seemed this house stocked everything they needed to survive. Everything Mana needed to survive. The food disinterested Nea, and he didn't quite know why.

The tea, the ice cream flavours, the choice of vegetables – those were Mana's favourites. As much as Nea thought he couldn't think of anything he liked. There must be a reason for that.

"Found anything?" he heard Mana say from the room, where he was closing a drawer and opening another.

"Not sure," he called back, still thinking about the food. He took note of that and moved into the living room.

The couch and the table seemed impersonal enough. He picked up the books scattered around, looking at their covers. There were a lot on fairy tales, some detective tales, fantasy books –

Nea flipped through one fantasy book. It was an encyclopedia of sorts. Whether it was made-up he couldn't be sure. He read an entry on harpies, tracing the image with his finger. On instinct he went to the back and flipped the pages there slowly. It was a well illustrated book, hard bound, well worn. And written such that children can understand it and be spell bound by the plentiful pictures.

He stopped at the page on vampires, and wondered why it felt so familiar. He read it more carefully, tracing a finger down the page as he did so. There were no illustrations, if only because vampires had human features.

"Nothing really, except these books," Mana said as he came out, holding onto a stack of books. Nea looked up from the encyclopedia and nodded, his finger stopped on the section 'Feeds'. Mana placed the books down on the table and hooked his chin over Nea's shoulder, reading the entry as well.

"Find your own book, why don't you?" Nea muttered.

"It's always so much more interesting to steal yours," Mana explained. He sounded subdued though. His eyes were fixed on the book.

"Familiar?" Nea asked, already anticipating the response. What he found familiar it was likely Mana would too. And vice versa.

Mana nodded, his chin digging into Nea's shoulder.

Nea sighed and shut the book, placing it on the table. "One of the many mysteries. Mana, why do you eat like a pig?"

Mana didn't even blink at the change of topic. He scoffed and said, "It's more like, why don't _you_ eat anything?"

_Exactly._ Nea glanced around, wondering what he hadn't searched. His eyes landed on the grand piano. He had closed it this morning after playing. With a thoughtful look he walked over and touched the top of it again. As always it felt alive under his fingers. He traced the edge, following the curve until his arm couldn't stretch further, then he traced back. He wondered what made it so different from everything else in the world.

Mana had come to stand beside him, looking down at the piano as well. He leaned against the side and watched Nea examine it. "You've always loved this piano," he said with fond eyes. "Would never stop playing it. Used to drive mother nuts."

Nea smiled and didn't say anything. He sat down on the piano bench and lifted the key cover. He didn't play though, just skimmed his fingers over the keys. It seemed to hum, just waiting for him to play a tune.

It had energy. It wasn't like the trees or the grass, though those were supposed to be alive. Nor like the skies that always misted over. Even the food didn't feel like the keys did.

The piano was like them, Nea thought, gazing into space. There was power in it. It didn't belong in this world.

.

The blast, when it came, shook the whole of Central. Alarms blared in Leverrier's office. The man lifted his head. It seemed like a scowl had been permanently etched in his features. He had had to investigate the case of Dodo, Raven, and Owl going missing, and he didn't have time for this.

But the alarm never blared, unless it was –

Standing up, he shouted, "Link, with me!"

Howard Link detached from the shadows and followed his supervisor. Leverrier walked fast. The Hunter's Moon was a dangerous moon, and it seemed like it was going to prove itself today, even as the dawn approached. He swiped his card in the lift and pressed the bottom-most button. When the lift doors shut the cabin locked. It would not open at any other floor now. The descent was long, even on the fast elevator. But it could go faster, he thought with a grim set to his face. Howard Link stood beside him, as expressionless as a stone. His claws were out and ready, Leverrier noted with approval.

When the doors opened he knew his worst fears had been confirmed. The red light was spinning and a terrible wail was emitted from the speakers. The doors were opened. They were never opened unless it was an emergency. Leverrier took the distance at a run. There were already some higher level hunters ahead of him, crowded around the entrance to the Mother Room. Other lifts poured out more hunters. At his arrival the hunters cleared a path for him. Their weapons were all at the ready, but none seemed to have attacked. At the head of the group was Madarao – Jabberwock. Gryphon was nowhere to be found, though it was her shift.

In a room crackling with electricity and spattered with blood, Kanda Yu sat, breathing heavily. Alma was out of his shell, held by Kanda. But he was alive. With one glance Leverrier could see the damage done to the machines and the shell. Only strong magic could have done this. And only one person could have done this.

"Kanda," Leverrier said in a civil tone. He stepped forward from the group of hunters, Madarao on one side, Link on the other. "So you've returned. We've been looking for you."

Kanda shot him a look. He was barely alive, but there was heat in his glare. The cuts on his body were numerous, and it wasn't just blood that flowed from them.

"You've been looking for Alma," Leverrier nodded in understanding. "We can save you, you know. We haven't forgotten your betrayal. _Alma_ hasn't forgotten your betrayal. But you can set this right."

Kanda laughed then. A wet, raspy sort of laugh. "Fool. Your hybrids cannot overthrow Arkham."

Leverrier raised his eyebrow and took another step forward, but stopped when Kanda raised his sword. Its sharp edge glinted. His only top hunter left, Jabberwock, murmured in his ear, "Shall I restrain him, Sir?"

And he could do it too, with Kanda so weakened. But Kanda had been their top hunter – their top potential hunter – and who knew what the years had taught him? Leverrier shook his head and put out his arms to the sides, stopping both Link and Madarao.

"That may be so. Yet it would be foolish to waste your life away. Join us, Kanda Yu. Alma will be happy to have you back – "

"_Stop using him as your fucking excuse_," Kanda snarled. He had a fierce, mocking grin as he said, "Alma will not even wake up. I'll be in the shell beside him, _sure_ he'll be happy. He won't even know anything. He has not known anything, since ten years ago. Your lies haven't changed, Leverrier. Your ambitions too."

Leverrier lowered his arms, considering the situation. Kanda could easily be taken down if he ordered his hunters to attack. Yet Alma was in the way, and he couldn't have him hurt. Or human hybrids would no longer be possible.

"What are you planning to do then, Kanda Yu? You know you cannot escape. And you will die with those wounds. What, pray tell, did you think you could do once you got Alma out of his shell?" he challenged, eyebrows raised. He could wait for Kanda to die. He wasn't far along now.

Kanda smiled. It didn't light up his features, nor did it seem happy. It was the smile of a man who had come to some grim conclusion. He had his arms tight around Alma, sword still held protectively over the two of them. His free hand was holding something they couldn't see.

"Fulfill a promise," he said, before Alma and him were shattered in an explosion of fire and sound.

.

In the light gray dawn, the Earl stood at his window, watching the rounded dome of Central. His young face didn't have any trace of joy on it. The Hunter's Moon was over, and half his job had just been done. Now he just needed Allen Walker to save him. He wondered if he should tell Wisely and the twins that they didn't have to do anything anymore, but it paid to be careful.

He turned around from the window. Black plumes of smoke had risen from Central. Doubtless the building could still be saved, if the humans were quick enough. The Earl wanted to see to other things.

On the first floor of the mansion, he turned right, following the scent of blood. It got stronger as he winded down the corridor, through its endless turns. When he reached the door he didn't knock before he entered, finding Tyki and Lulubell there. Lulubell bowed, face devoid of any expression. Tyki concentrated on capping a bottle. At their feet lay the shell of the hunter. Her life force was in the bottles that surrounded her, dark red in the light of the single bulb. She might have been beautiful once, the Earl thought as he looked at her wavy, golden hair. Death was unkind to her, the way the Noahs had done it.

"She is ready for the burning, Earl," Lulubell said once Tyki had kept the bottle away.

The Earl nodded. The moon might have set, but some of her power still lingered. He wasted no time lifting the girl onto the pyre. She was so light, and she looked too pale against the wood. The bottle of wildfire was handed to him by Tyki.

"Rest in peace. May death be kinder to you than the humans were," the Earl said with all tenderness, before he tipped the bottle of wildfire onto her.

Wildfire burned, but it didn't smoke. It only ate away at the girl's dead flesh. The green flame gave light to every corner of the room as it burned fiercely, devouring first her torso until only her legs and head remained. Then the fire split in both directions, gnawing away at soft flesh. There weren't even ashes left. When there was no more flesh the fire turned in on itself and died off, leaving the swinging light bulb the only source of light.

"Now we wait," the Earl said, weary beyond belief. "Now we wait."

.

Lenalee couldn't run fast enough. Even so, when she arrived, there were already other humans surrounding the building, and the few creatures who hadn't retired from their moon ritual. Lenalee felt as though her legs might give out on her, and she couldn't even muster a cry. Her throat was so dry. She looked around, frantic, trying to find a way in. Before she could push through the crowd somebody grabbed her from the back.

_Kanda!_ She thought, whirling around. But when she looked it was Marie, who had an ashen look. She gripped at him, a soundless plea.

Marie didn't have any words of comfort. He listened, and Lenalee watched, as the smoke rose. The few humans who had been firefighters were doing their best to stop the fire. It seemed like there was more smoke than flame by now. Marie handed Lenalee a handkerchief and she took it, but didn't know what to do with it. She kept watching, waiting for the survivors. There were many. Hunters who seemed unharmed, guards who had been far from the source of the fire, and appearing in slow succession, the hunters who were suffering from injuries. Two of them were supporting a large man between them – _Leverrier,_ her mind said. _He should have died. He deserved to die._ But he was badly burnt. His two supporters weren't free of injury, but they must have had some power, to escape the worst of the blast.

"Lenalee, Marie," a familiar voice said. Lenalee didn't turn to look. Her brother was emerging from the smoke, supporting an injured hunter. They weren't harmed – their laboratory was not in Central itself. His other team members were running around, the impromptu first aiders. And Lenalee could only watch.

_He's not coming,_ she realized after nobody else emerged from the smoke. Her head realized. Her heart refused to believe it. She had the image of Kanda walking out, his sword by his side, an irritated look on his face. She had sung a tune of protection for him, but it hadn't been strong enough. She looked around, but there was no hope on the faces of those around her. Lavi watched as well, and Allen beside him, their faces solemn.

"He had only known how to save with fire," Marie said, grief in his low voice.

_Yes, he had._

Lenalee wanted to hurt. She could, she knew. With Leverrier this injured she could sing a song of wrath, and he would die from internal bleeding, if he didn't have any already. She found him easily with her eyes, seeing her brother tending to him. He had always had the kinder heart, she thought, rage and sorrow and disbelief swirling within her. Among the chaos and the sharp tang of blood and burnt flesh in the air, Lenalee only wanted to hurt something.

She heard footsteps near her, and Allen took her hand. She turned to look at him, at the way he seemed so helpless. Lavi's fists were clenched by his side, but she couldn't read his eye. And Marie – his sorrow was palpable.

There _was_ something she could do, she thought as she looked away from Allen. Not just hurt. Not now, when so many had been hurt already. Even if death was a kinder fate to them, their fear was tangible. Some of the hunters so young too. Leverrier deserved to die. But the other hunters deserved to die at their own pace.

Disentangling herself from Allen's and Marie's support, she stepped right to the edge of the hastily erected barricade. Her throat was still raw. But as she stepped up her sisters joined her, the few who had arrived at the site. Emilia, with a supportive hand on her shoulder. And on her other side Anita, her mentor, who took her hand. She didn't need to look at them to know what to sing.

Taking one breath, they sang the strongest song of healing they knew.

_Tearful is this day  
From which the ashes will rise  
Give the dead peace  
And the living solace  
Grant your children Protection  
Until the day we ascend  
Lend us your strength  
Spirits of Daylight  
Grant us mercy  
Mother of the Night_


End file.
